Australian premier tells media to avoid self-censorship over attack
Sydney (dpa) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Friday called on the media not to resort to self-censorship because of the deadly attack on the staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Twelve people were killed in Wednesday's attack and the police are still searching for the culprits who targeted the magazine, which has run cartoons critical of Islam and other major religions.
"Australian media organisations don't normally hold back when, for argument's sake, they're criticising Christianity," Abbott, himself a Christian, said in an interview on Australia's Nine's Today programme in response to a question on how far satire of religions and minorities should go.
"If we do engage in self-censorship, if we do change the way we live and the way we think, that gives terrorists a victory. The last thing we should do is give these evil fanatics any kind of victory."
"We should not stop being ourselves because of this kind of attack," he said.
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