As I am typing, twelve men are being mourned in France by families, colleagues and everyday citizens. This morning, a shooting took place in Paris, in the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French magazine. Why? Because their specialty is satire and the cartoonists there had recently -well, in 2006- mocked the prophet Mohammad. My feelings after hearing of this terrorist act were so strong that the only way for me to react was to write about it.
Unfair, cruel, savage, barbaric, vile, heart wrenching... so many words to describe it all. Too many words to describe it all. Is there such a thing as too much freedom of speech? I believe there is, when it comes to hating on people for their differences. Other than that, developed countries are supposed to let and fight for people to be able to express themselves, it is the foundation of a true democracy.
Yet, here we are. Afraid. What has happened to "I do not agree with what you are saying, but I will fight for you to have the right to say such things" ? Has it been transformed to "I shall stay quiet and suffer in silence whilst I am slowly giving my rights up"? Freedom of speech is a human right which everyone deserves, as long as it does not involve hating on the other. No matter how much I might disagree with someone, we are all entitled to our own thoughts, opinions and ideas. The second we will not be, George Orwell's 1984 will become reality and the world as we know it will be transformed into a huge brainwashing factory.
As I have written in previous articles, I am naive. I see the good in people. So here I am, hoping that there will be more people ready to speak up, ready to fight for rights that are so vital to a democratic country . The men who shot twelve people with so little emotions will only be fought and condemned through resistance and education. They are terrorists, after that word, no religion matters. All should unite to end such horrendous acts and show that fear will not overtake a whole country, continent or planet.
Let's not give up on our rights, but instead, let's educate each other, let's preach tolerance and let's, sometimes, agree to disagree. If you cannot answer an argument with something other than violence, you are not standing up for anything. I will therefore use my own freedom of speech to send this message, but also to send my love to all who were affected by these events and to support them.
