An investigative reporter at Charlie Hebdo is “very happy” that President Obama didn’t show up to the Paris unity march earlier this month to stand up for free speech.
In a recent interview with French radio after surviving the terror attack on the magazine’s offices, Laurent Léger called the way in which the Obama administration has stifled the freedom of the press “an absolute scandal.”
Specifically, the administration has charged more Americans with violation of the Espionage Act by leaking classified information than have the administrations of all other presidents combined. These individuals include Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and six others.
“You have to be very happy [Obama] didn’t come to the march in Paris,” said Léger, according to the Huffington Post. “[His administration’s actions are] an absolute scandal. It’s very good he didn’t come to the march that day.”
The president was highly criticized for neither attending nor sending a high-ranking official to the demonstration in Paris, which took place on January 11. Later, Obama sent John Kerry to France to make up for the mishap.
The Charlie Hebdo journalist also criticized Britain for threatening press freedom, calling the government’s efforts against journalists “insane.”
“The role of the British justice system with regard to the press is just insane,” explained Léger. “You see how people’s private lives are completely trampled on by the British papers, especially the tabloids, while at the same time the justice system forbids them from publishing information … about the affairs of bureaucrats. This is not freedom of expression.”
As did Jon Stewart, Léger noticed that many of the countries represented at the unity march do not have commendable track records of rightfully standing up for free speech, calling the shear number of individuals representing these countries at the demonstration “incredible and ludicrous.”
“It’s too bad that the cartoonists who were killed couldn’t be there to see it,” he added. “If they had, they would have made some fantastic cartoons.”
