German chancellor Angela Merkel praised what she described as 'the bravery' of a Danish cartoonist who caricatured the Prophet Muhammad at an award ceremony honoring his achievements for freedom of speech.
In her speech praising illustrator Kurt Westergaard, 'who has had to fear for his life since the publication of the cartoons in 2005,' Merkel emphasized Wednesday that media freedom is an important element of rights in Europe.
'It does not matter if we think his cartoons are tasteful or not, if we think they are necessary and helping or not,' Merkel said at the ceremony in the city of Potsdam. The question, she said, was, 'Is he allowed to do this? Yes, he is.'
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