| We add the cartoon to remember what kind of stupidity the idiots are getting nasty about. |
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"They were also shouting some slogans. We removed them as well as two people who had started shouting back at the 15 (egg throwers). At the time it was a bit tumultuous but the commotion only lasted for about a minute," said Tommy Lindh of the local police to news agency TT.
Vilks was lecturing on freedom of speech at the university on Tuesday evening at the invitation of the university's association of international affairs (Utrikespolitiska föreningen).
The local Islamic Culture Association (Islamiska kulturföreningen) and Karlstad Young Moslems (Unga muslimer i Karlstad) had called for a boycott of the lecture earlier in the day, writing in a statement that Vilks "abuses the freedom of speech that we all enjoy and uses it in such a way as to create tension sin society"
Vilks began his lecture bringing up examples of artists who have challenged the boundaries of freedom of speech in different ways, several of whom have been reported to the police and convicted.
Among these was an exhibition on pornographic images of children, Malmö street artist Dan Park's poster of a black man in chains with the text "Our Negro slave has run away", Vilks's own caricature of the prophet Muhammed as a dog and Jesus as a paedophile, according to a university statement.
A short while into the lecture, fifteen people suddenly rose and began throwing eggs at Vilks. Two other members of the audience reacted against the attack and started shouting at the egg-throwers.
However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried...
coppers present at the speech were quickly able to remove the disturbing elements from the auditorium and the lecture could continue.
According to the police, no one has been locked away as of yet, nor was Vilks hit by any of the eggs thrown by the irate members of the audience as he was rushed off stage.
"We have yet to decide whether or not a criminal act has been committed. Vilks might also report the incident himself," said Lindh to Sveriges Television (SVT).
| So the attackers are identified and there is video of their attack, but no arrests. I'm guessing no prosecutions. I'm guessing the police want Vilks dead. |
| I'm sure they don't want any such thing. But it certainly would make things calmer if he weren't about. |
| "Will no one rid us of this meddlesome cartoonist?" |
"It is important that we are able to discuss questions about freedom of speech and democracy at the university. We regret that this occurred but we are happy that we could carry on," said Mazlom Dogan of the association in a statement.
Police couldn't elaborate on what the egg throwers had been chanting as they staged their attack.
| Allah Ackbar maybe? |
Vilks told local paper Nya Wermlands Tidningen (NWT) that while no one should accept these kind of attacks, they are hard to avoid if one wants to be able to make everyone welcome to a public event.
| Perhaps such people should not be made welcome, then. |
| Ah. A serial surrender monkey. |
| So he's proud of it? |
"Insults are part of democratic society. If we begin censoring ourselves it will mean undermining freedom of speech in the long run. I don't think that the problem is that artists are too provocative but that we are not provocative enough," said Vilks in answer to their questions.
According to NWT, police have identified several of the attackers and have reported the incident as assault and disturbing a public assembly.
| Video of the incident at the link. |
Three women wearing head scarves completely shielding their faces were denied entry to a Gothenburg courtroom on Friday during the remand hearing of one of the suspects in the Röda Sten murder plot case.