Video: Emmanuel Macron: "We are a country where the freedom to criticize goes hand in hand with the freedom to express oneself ...."

From January 15, 2020: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the importance of the freedom of expression without censure as an absolute right. This was five years and a week after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, which killed 12 and injured 11 people at the satirical magazine.

 "We are a country where the freedom to criticize goes hand in hand with the freedom to express oneself; where the freedom of blasphemy is also protected -- and I deeply wish it to be maintained and preserved."

He cites the Addis Ababa Declaration, a statement signed by 200 cartoonists from 20 countries declaring cartooning as a fundamental right, and submitted to UNESCO in 2019.

"The two-page document outlined the intrinsic and unique value of cartooning, claiming that the art is increasingly under the threat of censorship globally. Emphasizing the value of cartooning in society and the crucial role of the cartoonist in a democracy, the group made a case for recognizing it as a separate right, aside from the right to free expression that is already enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."