Mo insanity
And still the Muhammed Cartoons Controversy rumbles on. Danish police have arrested five people suspected of plotting to murder one of the cartoonists.
According to Denmark’s intelligence agency, the arrests were made in the western Aarhus region at 0330 GMT - after lengthy surveillance - “to prevent a murder linked to terrorism”. Three of those detained are Danes and the other two are foreigners.
According to the online edition of Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper at the centre of the furore, the plotters’ target was 73 year old Kurt Westergaard. He, and his 66-year-old wife, Gitte, have been under police protection for the past three months.
According to the artist:
Of course I fear for my life after the Danish Security and Intelligence Service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me. However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness. I have attended to my work and I still do. I could not possibly know for how long I have to live under police protection; I think, however, that the impact of the insane response to my cartoon will last for the rest of my life. It is sad indeed, but it has become a fact of my life.
Updated
The BBC is now saying that three people were arrested - two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccan origin.
Tuesday 12 Feb 2008 | Paul | Denmark
From BBC News: 13 February 2008, 15:43 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7242258.stm
Danish Muhammad cartoon reprinted.
“Danish newspapers have reprinted one of several caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad which sparked violent protests across the Muslim world two years ago.
They say they wanted to show their commitment to freedom of speech after an alleged plot to kill one of the cartoonists behind the drawings.”
While listening to the news today, drivin the jobomobile (at work that is), it was said that 11 Danish newspapers republished the cartoon in response to yesterdays action. So what comes next?
Albatross (of the Brights)
Hi Albatross. I saw the same story earlier and it is really good news. It is good news that the Danish press is willing to stand up and and be counted when their - and, extension, our - freedom of speech is threatened.
What these toonaphobes need to understand is that in a free society people will say things that offend you. And you will, no doubt, say things that offend other people. Threatening or planning to commit violence is never a justified response.