French Political Figure Criticizes Macron’s Stance on Muhammad Caricatures

"I think he (Macron) made a mistake in the sense that - but perhaps under the emotion of the day of the funeral - because he said ’I will continue with the caricatures’. No, a head of state does not continue with the caricatures. He continues with freedom of expression. He does not continue with caricatures that hurt millions of people around the world. [...] We must be very careful not to go off the rails, not to cross the line of the law and the fundamental rights and duties of the human person," she said on CNews.

"Any freedom of expression in French law is limited by the prohibition of public insult or endangerment of others. So the balance of law must be respected," added Ms. Royal. To support her argument, she explains: "We have a French motto: liberty, equality, fraternity. So yes to freedom, but freedom is not the right to do anything [...] There are rights and duties. And the duties established by the Republic is the fraternity that comes to rebalance freedom."

"What is fraternity? It is the prohibition of shocking, humiliating, insulting. It is the consideration of the suffering of others in order to be able to correct certain things. And freedom is not the right to say anything, anyhow," continued the former ambassador in charge of international negotiations for the Arctic and Antarctic poles for Macron.

"I am not for the banning of caricatures, but I am not for endorsing and saying that caricatures are good. [...] I think some caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad are insulting. All pornographic caricatures, I understand that some feel insulted by that, including Muslims who are neither fundamentalists nor radicals," supported the guest.