What is freedom of expression? Do we have the liberty to express, or does it just remain a constitutional right? Throwing light on the recent events, an idea was killed the other day in France. The idea of liberty, freedom of expression, and speech. So, who was Samuel Patty?
He was an idea who was trying to teach freedom of speech. During a history lesson to his students, he was using satirical cartoons. Some of them had caricatures of Prophet Muhammad by Charlie Hebdo to help them understand tolerance. Somehow the idea of him being killed by an 18-year-old does not add up. Samuel Patty was a teacher who wanted to emancipate society, and this cost him his life.
France has been hiding under a blanket of fear since 2015. The country is facing numerous assaults, in particular, due to the controversial cartoon of Charlie Hebdo. Charlie Hebdo is a satirical magazine of France that features cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. The magazine is known for its bold and derisive content. "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité", first uttered by Maximilien Robespierre became a symbol during the French Revolution. Of all three, the third one is the biggest challenge for France right now. These words are the basic morals of the French people. France does not only mean haute couture, soufflé, and macarons. It is the coexistence of a diverse set of people, and the French idea of absolute freedom of expression that defines France.
Daylight beheading of a school teacher is something that certainly cannot be overlooked. Such brutalities have no place in modern societies, and such sensitive issues should be dealt with utmost precaution. What needs to be dealt with is the spread of misinformation. Apparently, this shocking and inhumane act was the result of a few bigots and radicalised individuals. Religious bigotry is on the rise in almost all communities and sections. This leads to paranoia and radicalisation that sometimes results in the violence of this kind. Bigotry has threatened freedom of expression which is at the root of all modern democracies.
We live in times when the vulnerable individuals of all communities can be radicalised quite easily through digital media. Fueling the religious sentiments of young, confused individuals who have a strong sense of association with their religion is very easy nowadays. This presents challenges of different kinds, social media monitoring and content regulation become important. Which ironically again puts freedom of expression under the scanner. It is, as a society, our responsibility to educate our young people on the values of tolerance, compassion, and the sense of collective responsibility towards humanity. As Carl Sagan put it, "If a human disagrees with you, let him live, in a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another one”. It takes a lot of moral courage to fight for our values and we all need to stand together no matter what our political beliefs are to defend the fundamental virtue of democracy. The Freedom of Expression.
- Akshaya Akriti
BA (Hons) Economics
(Edited by Anushka and Pallavi)
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