Canadian PM Says Nice Attack Does Not Define Islam

By Staff, Agencies

Condemning a deadly attack in the French city of Nice, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that these terrorist attacks do not define Islam.

Defending 'free speech', Trudeau said it is important but it sure does come with limits, WION reported.

His statement about free speech was related to the recent controversy surrounding the cartoon printed and re-printed by the French Charlie Hebdo magazine and said Canada will always "defend freedom of expression."

Trudeau, meanwhile, distanced himself from any direct statement in the press conference and said freedom of expression does not come without limits.

"We owe it to ourselves to act with respect for others and to seek not to arbitrarily or unnecessarily injure those with whom we are sharing a society and a planet," he added.

"We do not have the right for example to shout fire in a movie theatre crowded with people, there are always limits," Trudeau underscored.

He also urged people to be more aware of their words and actions towards fellow humans. "In a pluralist, diverse and respectful society like ours, we owe it to ourselves to be aware of the impact of our words, of our actions on others, particularly these communities and populations who still experience a great deal of discrimination," he said.

He also openly condemned the attacks saying, "it is unjustifiable and Canada wholeheartedly condemns these acts while standing with our French friends who are going through extremely difficult times."