Australia's main opposition Labor party says violent protests prompted by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad are an assault on fundamental freedoms in Western democracies. Labor's Kevin Rudd says the protests are repugnant and should not be tolerated. Mr Rudd says any decision on whether to publish the cartoons in Australia should be made solely on editorial grounds. "This is a free country, and we should not be stood over by any group, including militant Islamist groups," he said. "These decisions should be taken on their journalistic merits by Australia's news media. "We should not be kow-towing to anybody when it comes to freedom in this country." New Zealand protests Around 800 people joined protests at the weekend against the publication of the cartoons by two New Zealand newspapers. The prime minister, Helen Clark, has accused the newspapers of "bad manners". New Zealand exporters are concerned that the papers' decision to republish the images could harm trade with Muslim nations. The chairman of New Zealand Meat and Wool, Jeff Grant, says Middle Eastern markets are worth up to US$274 million to New Zealand.