Jan 11, 2015 2 min read

First, I don’t want this letter to imply I condone the murders of journalists in France. No one should die for their opinions. But this event, and the hoopla surrounding the movie “The Interview” have me thinking.

Freedom is linked to responsibility. As a child, my father taught me that “your freedom to swing your arm ends where your brother’s nose begins.” Would we be so shocked at the anger if someone in another country filmed a comedy about a sitting U.S. president being assassinated? Or drew cartoons mocking Jesus?

Certainly, cyber attacks and murder aren’t justified in these cases either. But where is the responsibility of the writer or cartoonist? “Freedom of expression” can be used to justify speech that is meant to incite hatred toward a group of people. That hatred can have real and violent consequences to the targeted group. Remember all the attacks on Muslims and Arab Americans after 9-11?

A history of religious intolerance led to laws in many European countries that prohibit speech that is excessively hostile toward religious groups. It is my understanding Muslims in Europe unsuccessfully tried to use these laws to stop such mean-spirited “freedom of expression.” If such appropriate avenues of protest are closed, there can be no dialogue defining the line between free expression and a license to incite hatred. And without public dialogue, there can be no one – except perhaps a madman with a gun – to judge where that line should be drawn.

Beth Wallach

McMurray