Brussels, 03/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - At its Congress in Stockholm, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) adopted a 12-point manifesto for national parties during next June's European elections (see EUROPE 9773). Top of the Liberals' priorities comes defending civil liberties.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen strongly argued that there had to be no compromise in defending civil liberties. “Do we want a Europe where museums remove paintings because they are labelled offensive? It happened in London. It happened in The Hague. Do we want a Europe where publishers refuse to publish books out of fear of reprisals? We have seen this. Do we want a Europe where newspapers refrain from printing cartoons because they are considered insulting? No, we must rely on each other to speak out. Imagine if Galileo had stopped his scientific discoveries of the universe. Imagine if Charles Darwin had chosen not to publish 'The Origin of the Species'. Imagine if Monty Python had been forbidden to make 'The Life of Brian'. I truly believe that it is this very right to question the status quo that allows a society to develop,” he said on Thursday 30 October. At the start of 2006, the publication of caricatures of the prophet Mohamed in a Danish newspaper caused controversy and sometimes violent reactions against the Danish government both inside and outside the European Union (see EUROPE 9134 and 9137).
The Liberals' manifesto makes civil liberties and liberty in its broadest sense the foundation of a Liberal Europe. The ELDR party calls for all the fundamental freedoms to be respected in the EU, in particular the freedom of the press, freedom of expression, minority rights and the right to privacy and protection of personal information. (M.B./transl.rt)