” ““The violence, destruction and hatred that have been shown by the protests against the publication of the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad are absolutely unacceptable; nevertheless, I am sure they are not supported by the vast majority of Islam people, no matter how offended they may have been by such cartoons”. Terry Davis, secretary general of the EU Council, offers from Strasbourg his interpretation of the events of these last few days. And he adds: “Everyone must be inspired by dialogue and mutual respect in one’s actions”. “As far as the cartoons are concerned, I do want to highlight that all freedoms, including the freedom of expression, must go hand in hand with a sense of responsibility”. Davis adds that the European Convention for Human Rights guarantees freedom of opinion and the freedom to receive and disclose information and ideas: “In addition, the European Court for Human Rights has advocated such a freedom on several occasions, even when such opinions may be offensive. However, being entitled to offend doesn’t mean it is right. Directors and journalists are responsible for taking careful decisions about whether to publish something. Maybe the publication of the cartoons did not breach any legal provision, but it certainly violated some ethic rules based on mutual respect and the acceptance of other people’s religious beliefs”.
