Busy at the moment but to follow up on the story below, The Times are now covering the developments:

"INTELLECTUALS are rallying around a philosophy teacher forced into hiding after he wrote an article describing the Prophet Muhammad as a ruthless warlord and mass murderer"

"The teacher and his supporters have been angered by the qualified backing from Gilles de Robien, the Education Minister. M de Robien voiced solidarity with the teacher but added that he should have been “careful, moderate and sensible in all circumstances”. Similarly Dominique de Villepin, the Prime Minister, said: “Everyone has the right to express his views freely, while respecting others, of course.....

On Europe 1 radio yesterday, M Lévy denounced the Education Minister for failing to support his teacher. “It is unacceptable. This must be condemned without reservations . . . When a man is on the ground, you don’t give him lessons. You help him to get up again,” he said

More than 20 stars of the French intellectual world appealed yesterday to the Government to do more to help. They included the philosophers Bernard-Henri Lévy, Alain Finkielkraut and André Glucksmann. M Redeker, who is on the editorial board of Les Temps Modernes, a review founded by Jean-Paul Sartre"


I hope this story remains a press focus.