Danish editor laments fear of extremism after Charlie Hebdo massacre

By Euronews

Published on 12/01/2015 - 22:49

The man in Denmark principally responsible for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 has spoken out after the Charlie

The man in Denmark principally responsible for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005 has spoken out after the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

In a rare interview, Flemming Rose, the cultural editor at the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, says he is worried that Western media are letting themselves be governed by the fear of extremism.

“Our paper has been very much alone with this for the past nine years,” he told a Danish TV programme.

“There’s been no ‘je suis Jyllands-posten’ t-shirts, in the same way we’ve seen with Charlie Hebdo.

“We still have comprehensive freedom in the West, but we have generally moved towards greater fear, and I’m concerned where it will stop. This culture of fear is in effect the very fundamental basis of dictatorship.”

The cartoons in the Danish paper sparked a violent reaction at the time, and it recently decided not to reprint any Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

Jyllands-Posten is well known in Denmark for its humorous and thought-provoking cartoons:

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