As
France Bans
Even Peaceful
Protest, Ban
Ki-moon Has No
"Specific"
Comment
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21
-- It has
become a
commonplace
for UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon or his
spokespeople
on his behalf
to say that
people have a
right to
peaceful
protest that
governments
should
respect.
But
when Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
on
September 21
about French
Interior
Minister
Interior
Minister
Manuel
Valls
prohibiting
any and all
protest
--"There will
be strictly
no exceptions.
Demonstrations
will be banned
and broken
up," he
said --
Nesirky said
"no, no
specific
comment on
individual
instances or
cases." Video
here, from
Minute 32:40.
One
wag wondered
if this
deference was
for all
specific
countries, or
specifically
for Permanent
Five members
of the
Security
Council.
Now
we have the
worst of both
worlds: Ban
has said that
the freedom of
expression, of
filmmakers or
cartoonists,
is not
absolute, and
has
declined
specific
comment on the
banning of
even peaceful
protest.
The
irony here is
that France's
Permanent
Representative
to the UN
Gerard
Araud said in
Security
Council
consultations,
numerous
Council
sources told
Inner City
Press, that he
is proud to be
able to
denigrate
religion. And
apparently
proud to be
able to ban
even
peaceful
protest to
such acts.
Watch this
site.
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