TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Malaysia's Mahathir says Muslims can kill French, Twitter deletes post

Referring to the beheading of a French teacher who had shown pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, Mahathir said he did not approve of his murder but that freedom of expression does not include "insulting other people".

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Kuala Lumpur
Fri, October 30, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

Malaysia's Mahathir says Muslims can kill French, Twitter deletes post Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, speaks at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on August 7, 2020 to announce the formation of a new political party. Vincent Thian / POOL / AFP (AFP/Vincent Thian)

F

ormer Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad tweeted Thursday that Muslims had a right "to kill millions of French people" after a deadly attack in Nice, sparking widespread anger and prompting Twitter to delete his post.

Three people were killed at a church in the southern French city, with the attacker slitting the throat of at least one, in what authorities were treating as the latest militant assault to rock the country.

Shortly afterwards, Mahathir - the prime minister of Muslim-majority Malaysia until his government collapsed in February - launched an extraordinary outburst in a series of tweets.

Twitter initially declined to remove the comments, but finally did so following a furious reaction from the French government.

Cedric O, the French junior minister for digital affairs, said in a tweet in French and English: "I just spoke with the MD (managing director) of @TwitterFrance.

"The account of @chedetofficial must be immediately suspended. If not, @twitter would be an accomplice to a formal call for murder."

Twitter initially flagged Mahathir's tweet about killing "millions of French people" as "glorifying violence" but did not remove it. 

However, shortly afterwards, the tweet was deleted entirely, and Twitter told AFP it was because the comments "violated policy regarding glorification of violence."

Mahathir never made a direct reference to the attack in Nice however.

Referring to the beheading of a French teacher who had shown pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, Mahathir said he did not approve of his murder but that freedom of expression does not include "insulting other people".

"Irrespective of the religion professed, angry people kill," said the outspoken 95-year-old, who has in the past drawn controversy for remarks attacking Jews and the LGBT community.  

"The French in the course of their history has killed millions of people. Many were Muslims. Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past."

But he added that "by and large the Muslims have not applied the 'eye for an eye' law. Muslims don't. The French shouldn't."

Mahathir, who served as Malaysian premier twice for a total of 24 years, also said French President Emmanuel Macron was "not showing that he is civilized", and added that he was "very primitive".

"The French should teach their people to respect other people's feelings. Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims' religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to punish the French.

His comments sparked widespread condemnation, with some social media users labeling them "outrageous" and "disgraceful". 

The beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty reinforced Macron's intention to take on Islamic extremism.

But comments by the French president since then, in particular a vow to protect freedom of speech including cartoons deemed insulting by Muslims, have inflamed tensions.

Protests and calls for boycotts against France have erupted in several Muslim countries. 

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.