Trudeau and Macron speak out after cartoon comment controversy

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken with his French counterpart amid controversy over recent comments he made on free speech.

Mr. Trudeau expressed Canada’s solidarity with “the people of France” following the recent terrorist attacks.

A teacher was beheaded in a Paris suburb after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to some of his students.

Trudeau’s comments last week on free speech were criticized in both Canada and France.

French President Emmanuelle Macron’s defense of the publication of the cartoons sparked protests in some Muslim-majority countries.

In some countries there have been calls for a boycott of French products.

Trudeau condemned the recent attacks in France, including a deadly knife attack on a church in Nice, the third alleged Islamist attack in the country in just over a month.

But in response to a question about the right to show a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, he said that “freedom of expression is not without limits.”

“We owe it to ourselves to act with respect for others and not seek to arbitrarily or unnecessarily harm those with whom we share a society and a planet.”

And he added: “We do not have the right, for example, to shout fire in a crowded cinema, there are always limits.”

On Tuesday, Macron spoke by phone with the prime minister of the Canadian province of Quebec, Francois Legault, to thank him for his words of support after the attacks.

Legault said he had “unreservedly condemned” what happened in France.

But Macron did not make a call to Trudeau that day, seen as a slight from the French leader, especially as both men are seen as like-minded political allies.

Since then, Trudeau has clarified his previous comments, saying that “it is important to continue defending freedom of speech, freedom of speech.”

He added: “Our artists help us to reflect on and challenge our views and contribute to our society, and we will always continue to defend freedom of expression.”

Trudeau and Macron spoke by phone Thursday, suggesting that the two leaders were fixing the fences over the comments.

According to a reading from the prime minister’s office, Mr. Trudeau “expressed Canada’s solidarity with the people of France in the wake of recent terrorist attacks and violence” and the two “agreed on the importance of defending freedom of expression and rights. in their shared commitment to fighting terrorism and violent extremism. ”