The European countries are proud of their democracy. Most of them shouldn’t be. As a matter of fact, values of democracy and freedom of speech in European countries are on the low, and there are (obviously) a lot of people who want to infringe it even more.
People go to prison in European states for saying that the Holocaust never occurred or that Hitler was right. Of course they are wrong, but shouldn’t even people who are wrong have the right to talk?
The Christians in Sweden tried to shut down a sex-art exhibition because it was considered as blasphemy according to them. Sure, a lot of things may be obscene and shocking to some people, but if you don’t like the exhibition you don’t have to go there!
The Muslim world is also hypocritical. They get hysterical over some cartoons in a free news-paper in a small country that they don’t even know where it is situated sometimes (people have been burning Swiss and Norwegian flags as well due to some funny misconceptions). But when it comes to the maltreatment of women in the name of Islam, hostage beheadings, suicide bombings, honor killings etc. there are NO ONE taking to the streets. Talk about selective outrage.
Sure, some cartoons can be obscene and shocking for some persons, but if they don’t like it, then they can just choose not to look or to by that newspaper.
And the worst level of hypocrisy is performed by the European left-wing, who, in their naive kindness of all living things, support the intolerants’ opinion to infringe democracy and the freedom of speech.
Legislation and censorship can never outstrip the dialog and openness. Even if the anti-democratic forces may say that they are “hurt” …
