How China's reaction differs from the West after Charlie Hebdo attacks

Free speech muted in China

The terror attacks in France were inspired by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's continued caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The world largely responded to the attack on its office as a sign that free speech should be ardently defended, even among those whom the newspaper mocked.

In China, however, reactions have been a little different, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane.

Demonstrations around the world in support of free speech have received muted attention in communist nation.

China's state news agency, Xinhua, ran a commentary by its Paris bureau chief in which he said: "Unfettered and unprincipled satire, humiliation and free speech are not acceptable."

A commentary posted on the Xinhua website also warns that we now live in "a reality that demands basic respect and prudence be exercised in mass communication so as to reduce inter-culture and inter-religion misunderstanding and distrust, which can easily be exploited by terrorists."

Inside China, there has recently been a clamping down on journalists.

Just this week in Hong Kong, the home and offices of a prominent media tycoon who supported pro-democracy demonstrations there was firebombed.

No one was injured and no arrests have been made, but they do send a message about free speech in the world's most populous country.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.