Following the appalling events over the last week in France a number of Library Associations have released statements of support for Charlie Hebdo making a strong link between the threat such attacks make on freedom of speech and freedom of expression and the role of libraries. Cilip released a statement which can be read at http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/news/safeguarding-our-freedoms-following-charlie-hebdo-attack and others which you may be interested in reading include the American Library Association (see http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/01/ala-president-courtney-young-releases-statement-regarding-charlie-hebdo) and EBLIDA (see http://www.eblida.org/news/eblida-press-release-charlie-hebdo.html)
IFLA's Committee on Freedom of Access to information and Freedom of Expression (which I chair) is also preparing a statement which places the attack on Charlie Hebdo in the context of attacks on journalists world wide. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists 61 journalists were killed in 2014, of which 27 were murdered. Since 1992 1109 journalists have been killed of which 734 were murdered. Equally significantly, 221 journalists were imprisoned in 2014 - the second highest figure recorded (see https://www.cpj.org/). These ongoing attacks on freedom of expression have a strong resonance with libraries, and directly impact upon the information that we can make available to our users.
For those with a developed sense of irony, there has been considerable comment about the world leaders who felt it appropriate to join in the march for solidarity in Paris on Sunday. Daniel Wickham, as student at LSE, sent out a series of tweets about which highlighted attacks on freedom of the press in 21 of the countries whose leaders attended the march. These have been brought together in a storify page at http://mic.com/articles/108166/one-student-s-epic-tweets-call-out-the-biggest-hypocrites-marching-for-free-speech-in-paris. This makes for sobering reading.
As calls for greater monitoring, surveillance and curtailment of privacy grow this is an agenda we should all keep a close eye on in coming months.
Martyn Wade
Chair, CILIP Council
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