The BBC reports that maksed gunmen in Gaza stormed the local office of the EU, demanding an apology from Denmark and Norway over the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.

One of the gunmen said citizens of both countries should not enter Gaza until the apology is made.

The Danish government has expressed regret over the furore over the cartoons, but refused to get involved, citing freedom of expression and ponting out that “the government can in no way influence the media.”

The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said they carried out the raid.

In related news, AFP (via MediaWatchWatch) reports that

With fiery sermons and raucous demonstrations, Iraqis called for an investigation into Danish and Norwegian publications carrying cartoons deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammed.

Ranting from the pulpit of his mosque in the Shiite Kadhimiya neighborhood of Baghdad, Sheikh Hazem al-Aaraji - a follower of Moqtada al-Sadr - claimed:

“They want to disfigure Islam and this we cannot accept. These cartoons directly attack the personality of the messenger of God. We say to them: they cannot attack Mohammed, nor any of the prophets.”

Another preacher - Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi - in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, on friday, called for the editors of the magazines to be put on trial.

Meanwhile, the Brussels Journal, has gotten hold of the email written by Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, to the Norwegian embassies in response to the publication of the cartoons on Norway.

I am sorry that the publication of a few cartoons in the Norwegian paper Magazinet has caused unrest among Muslims. I fully understand that these drawings are seen to give offence by Muslims worldwide. Islam is a spiritual reference point for a large part of the world. Your faith has the right to be respected by us.

The cartoons in the Christian paper Magazinet are not constructive in building the
bridges which are necessary between people with different religious and ethnic backgrounds. Instead they contribute to suspicion and unnecessary conflict.

Let it be clear that the Norwegian government condemns every expression or act which expresses contempt for people on the basis of their religion or ethnic origin. Norway has always supported the fight of the UN against religious intolerance and racism, and believes that this fight is important in order to avoid suspicion and conflict. Tolerance, mutual respect and dialogue are the basis values of Norwegian society and of our foreign policy.

Freedom of expression is one of the pillars of Norwegian society. This includes tolerance for opinions that not everyone shares. At the same time our laws and our international obligations enforce restrictions for incitement to hatred or hateful expressions.

So much for defending a free society, then.

However, and more positively, the EU Observer reports that

Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik said after the foreign ministers gathering in Brussels, that the EU “strongly rejects” these threats.

“We have expressed a spirit of solidarity with our northern colleagues, as well as our belief and attachment to the freedom of press and the freedom of expression as part of our fundamental values, and the freedom of religious beliefs,” she said, adding that she hoped that the matter would be solved through “dialogue between the involved parties”.

The Danish foreign minister Per Stig Moller said he is “satisfied with the reaction from colleagues as expressed by Ms Plassnik.”

His Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet, told Danish media, that the case had become a European case.

“This is no longer a Danish case. It can hit us all, and may have far-going consequences for the relationship between Europe and the Muslim world. Therefore, we must seek to prevent it from escalating.”

French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy announced that “You can never put question marks around the freedom of speech in any European country, and therefore we have all declared our solidarity with the Danes.”

And Peter Mandelson, the EU trade comissioner has warned governments who deliberately create a situation where EU goods are faced with unfair treatment that:

“Any boycott of Danish goods would be seen as a boycott of European goods.”

He also added that if any government was proven to have supported a boycott of EU goods, he would be forced to bring the case up before the WTO.

Way to go, Mandy!

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