France pushed for forefront of free speech battle

Americans enjoy jokes at France's expense.

But jokers are forgetting the long relationship the United States has enjoyed with the French, arms and soldiers essential to defeating the British in the American Revolution, to the gift of the giant statue that greets ships arriving in New York Harbor, through two world wars and continuing today.

Now it falls to the French to sacrifice, and defend, one of the human rights Americans hold most dear. free speech. The massacre at the Paris newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, steps up the assault on free speech allegedly begun by North Korea in the Sony hacking case that derailed release of "The Interview."

Though from different sources and for different reasons -- one for its portrayal of the assassination of an Asian despot, the other by radical Islamists for publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad -- the object of the attacks are similar: one a studio releasing a farcical buddy comedy, the other a satirical publication similar to America's "The Onion," that regularly mocks religions of all stripes.

Sony first buckled under pressure from theater chains, then fought back, releasing the film online and at smaller independent theaters.

For its part, Charlie Hebdo vows to publish on schedule, despite an editor, three cartoonists and eight other people being gunned down on Wednesday.

Flags are being flown at half-staff, the Eiffel Tower switched off its lights and metro trains ground to a halt for a moment of silence. "Je Suis Charlie" -- "I Am Charlie" -- signs and hashtags sprouted around France and on the Internet in an act of defiance.

Like all such events, various interests viewed the events through their own filter. Second Amendment advocates noted the attacks took place in a nation with strict gun control; others, despite disavowal by Muslim clerics, noted the killers shouted "Allahu akbar!" as they fired.

As we argue the details, however, all of civilized humanity can be united in support of the free speech that makes such public debate possible.