MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — Restricting the expression of extreme opinions is the wrong way to combat terrorist attacks such as the Copenhagen synagogue shooting and Charlie Hedbo attack in Paris, the political spokesperson for the Danish Conservative People's Party told Sputnik news agency Wednesday.
“I do not believe that the right way to deal with the Copenhagen shooting, which was an attack on freedom and freedom to speak, is to restrict those rights,” Mai Mercado told Sputnik.
“In Britain there were discussions on whether it is illegal to write extreme opinions, if that should be sufficient reason to get kicked off Facebook or Twitter. But even though we experienced these attacks this weekend, we must not tighten the rights to speak and to express ourselves freely. We must actually emphasize even more that we have the right to speak or to write freely,” Mai Mercado told Sputnik.
In January, 17 people were killed in France in a series of gun massacres. The first of the Paris attacks was carried out on the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, known for its cartoons lampooning Islam. After that, opinions have been split among those who advocate unfettered free speech, and those who say free speech does not include hate speech, and that religious feelings should be protected.
On Saturday, a gunman identified as 22-year-old Omar Abdel Hussein opened fire in a Copenhagen cafe during a debate on the role of art, blasphemy and free speech, killing one person and injuring three others. On Sunday, it is presumed the same shooter killed another person and injured two more in an attack on a synagogue in the Danish capital.
