French teen's anti-Islam rant revives debate on free speech

An outspoken French teenager has reignited a polarising debate over free speech in the country after an expletive-laden Instagram rant against Islam that has forced her to stay home from school on safety fears.

The case of 16-year-old Mila -- who has received a slew of death threats for calling Islam "a shitty religion" -- has come just over five years after a group of French cartoonists from the Charlie Hebdo magazine were gunned down by jihadist gunmen after poking fun at the Prophet Mohammed.

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that the teen, whose full name has been withheld by French media, and her family had been put under police protection.

Right-wing politicians have accused the government of failing to show enough support for the teen in the face of what they call "Islamist" threats over the last two weeks.

In a TV interview Monday, Mila said she did "not regret" her remarks and defended her right to "blaspheme".

Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen responded by tweeting: "This young girl is braver than the whole political class in power over the past 30 years."

The Senate leader of the main opposition Republicans party, Bruno Retailleau, also issued a robust defence of Mila against "this political Islam which is trampling our values".

But some on the left, like former Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal, appeared torn between the desire to defend the unfettered free speech for which the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists died and reprimand the teen for her foul-mouthed outburst.

While defending Mila's "total" freedom to criticise a religion, Royal said she should have shown more "respect, manners and knowledge" and should not be made into "a paragon of freedom of expression."

SOURCE