Bravo to France for standing firm against bullying from some Muslim governments that demand France censor using criteria they would impose.

The murdered teacher was not, as it happens, endorsing the controversial cartoons' mocking of Mohammed; he said explicitly that they were examples for a discussion of freedom of speech. To murder people for mockery would be an outrage, but he was murdered for disobedience to would-be tyranny. He deserves the medal he was posthumously given.

France is not entirely consistent in its defense of freedom of speech. It prohibits stating certain opinions on some historical questions, such as whether Turkey carried out a genocide of the Armenians. Since I am not in France, I can freely say that I believe it did. But people in France, whatever their views on the question, cannot speak freely about it.

Even though the view permitted by France agrees with the view I freely hold, I follow the late Hrant Dink in rebuking France for prohibiting views that disagree with his view (which is also mine). France ought to repeal that law.

France's censorship also includes criminalizing insults against officials (even mild ones). That too is wrong.

These flaws do not detract from the exemplary importance of France's resistance to the decades-long global Islamist censorship bullying campaign. You don't need to be perfect to be a hero for a good cause.

You also don't have to try to threaten or bully others to be a good Muslim, or at least so say millions of Muslims.

If you dislike statements that criticize or mock certain views, you don't have to make them, or look at them. But anyone that tries to impose censorship on people, or countries, is fighting against everyone's freedom.

In the end, the tyranny of "you may not offend us" is hardly different from any other tyranny.

A British librarian swells with pride at the increased provision of freedom-corroding ebooks to readers.

Isn't it a pity that they are not aware that they are helping to subjugate people. That is true for most librarians in the US, too.

You can help educate them by bringing up this issue when offered an ebook "loan" — and then say, "Rather than accept the injustice of a commercial ebook, I'll wait till I can borrow a physical copy."

Islamist bullying's veiled threat to France: refusing to yield to censorship demands is "unwise".

People have a right to practice their religions, or other cultural practices, but that does not convey the right to gag criticism, satire or mockery of those practices.

It can be painful to stand up against bullies, but what is truly unwise is to yield to them. Vive la France ! A bas la répression Islamiste !

Population declines for insectivorous birds in the Amazon hint at a big drop in the insect population, even far from civilization.

This could be very dangerous.

*How Covid-19 laws are being used to silence garment workers in Burma.*

Australia is also gratuitously repressing protests with Covid-19 as the excuse, and so is the UK.