I'm glad you said some on the left.. I'm sure there some on the right as well.

I think to most important point to consider is should we use this as a trigger to enshrine freedom of expression in our Constitution.

I'm in one of the camps of 'I don't condone the murder of cartoonists but...', the but being that I don't need to identify as Charlie to voice my disgust at the murder of police, cartoonists, journalists, cleaners an economist and shoppers.

I am not Charlie, I disagree with what I have read of their approach to a broad brush needling of muslims on an ongoing basis (and not just extremists will be hurt by the portrayals of their prophet even if the others don't take up arms in response). From what I've read I consider that reverence for their prophet to be misplaced but no good is served by offensive portrayals outside of considered discussion.

I get that Islam is not a race, that its not necessarily zenophobia to express concerns about cultural clash where there appear tobe real issues. I don't know Charlies efforts well enough to make any kind of call regarding racism, I do get the impressiin of extremism though.

I do think that the kind of needling used by Charlie was a gift that keeps on giving to extremist recruiters, serving to further alleniate those already alleniated.

So I don't condone the murder of cartoonists, police, journalists, cleaners, economists, shoppers (or anyone else) but neither do I condone broad brush needling of grouos of people with little or no regard to the consequences.

I will stand for the right to that freedom of speech but don't need to identify with those who abuse that freedom (which in my view Charlie appears to have done).

R0bert

As the race discrimination commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, was quoted as saying in today's Guardian, “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, but it’s not an absolute right.”
There is such a thing as abuse of a right, and Charlie Hedbo's continuing use of provocative cartoons which he would have known were truly offensive to the world's Muslims was an abuse of the right to free speech.
And it's not as if France doesn't have its own limits on freedom of speech. As Gary Younge noted in a Guardian column yesterday, in 2005 Le Monde was found guilty of “racist defamation” against Israel and the Jewish people. Also, in 2008 a cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo was fired after refusing to apologise for making anti-Semitic remarks in a column.
Or as The Saker has it, a group of “caviar-lefties” made their money spitting in the souls of billions of people and then dared them to do something about it.
Well, someone did. So find them and try them for murder. But that can't be as those designated as the murderers have been found and "double tapped". No arrest, no trial, no cross examination, end of story. But it's not, is it?
Now comes the dangerous part, and I anticipate a further erosion of our remaining civil liberties. As 9/11 showed, there's nothing like a bit of fear to get everyone ready for the show of a controlling hand.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/12/community-leaders-reject-calls-to-ease-ban-on-racial-insults-after-france-attacks
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/11/charie-hebdo-danger-polarised-debate-paris-attacks
http://www.vineyardsaker.net/i-am-not-charlie/

Tim. A particularly good article, readable, clear and very accurate but.......
RObert has a very sage comment, clearly articulating the conundrum inherent in making comment about this incident, I think that I agree with ROberts' 'but' in this incidence.

The return of the S18C argument to the public arena, recognising the nuanced and or 'grey' areas of the legislation. I do not like being insulted, humiliated etc by what others say of me, but I am prepared to accept the cost to my sensitive feelings if I am to continue living in a democracy. The dropping of the 18C legislation repeal legislation has moved my future vote from the disappointing liberals.

Interesting article.

'I don't condone the murder of cartoonists but...'

Translation, anyone who criticises Islam could be killed at any time, so keep silent, and anyway, those cartoonists must have been very bad people because someone shot them in the head.

Hear, hear and well said Sir!
Rhrosty.