The freedom to offend is a priceless commodity | Kenan Malik

The murder of a Parisian teacher underlines the need to stand up for free speech

The details are still emerging, but the horror is clear - the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, in Paris, apparently in response to his using Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a classroom discussion on free speech.

After such attacks there are always claims that free speech isn't worth it". Hardly had news begun filtering out about the 2015 Charlie Hebdo murders than there were suggestions that the cartoonists had brought it on themselves. The same will no doubt happen again.