Opinion | Power of free speech must be wielded carefully amid threat of terrorism
Frank Ching says free speech in any society has the potential to hurt, and all who exercise it must do so responsibly and skilfully
The terrorist attacks in France have precipitated an unprecedented show of solidarity against terrorism as more than a million people, including 40 world leaders, marched through the streets of Paris. They even brought together Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.
This may be what columnist David Brooks calls a "teachable moment", when people's attention is focused on a tragedy and their minds are open to ways to prevent a recurrence.
It is natural that people around the world have sported the slogan "Je suis Charlie" - I am Charlie - but, in truth, very few would want to be identified with the deliberate attempt to be provocative and to mock other people's beliefs that marked the history of the magazine.
In fact, arrived on the scene after another publication, , was banned by the French government for making fun of the death of former French president Charles de Gaulle.
The massacre at is a reminder that, for responsible journalists, there are limits to rights, including freedom of expression, when other people's rights come into play.
It is encouraging that, in the aftermath of the massacre, a number of thoughtful pieces have appeared. Brooks, for example, has pointed out that the newspaper "wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds" if its editors had tried to publish it on any American university campus because "student and faculty groups would have accused them of hate speech".
