Not only pencils, but also sheets of paper:
a call to action after the Paris events

After the Charlie Hebdo massacre and all that followed, it is time to really think about the future we want for ourselves

In the hours since gunmen raided the offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people, the pencil has become a symbol of solidarity with the victims and affirmation of freedom of expression. The Financial Times’ Europe editor, Tony Barber, had accused the newspaper of “Muslim-baiting”. Barber levelled his charge in an op-ed hours after the attack. “Charlie Hebdo has a long record of mocking, baiting and needling French Muslims” Barber wrote, pointing a finger at the paper for inciting to violence, continuing as follows:

“France is the land of Voltaire, but too often editorial foolishness has prevailed at Charlie Hebdo. […] Some common sense would be useful at publications such as Charlie Hebdo, and Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten, which purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims, but are actually just being stupid.”

This statement has predictably provoked the reaction of readers, media and society at large, forcing FT to partially step off.

The case calls us to take position on what freedom of expression really means to us. We all know it is recognised as a human right in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but we must ask ourselves — especially after the events happening in Paris last week — what are the implications of this principle in our daily lives. And, moreover: what are the implications for us as lawyers?

The Paris bar’s immediate reaction to the killings was to tweet “Lawyers are always defenders of freedom of expression and against barbarism”. And that’s why, in the spirit of Voltaire, I raise my pencil not only for the victims, but also for Mr. Barber. Everyone should always be able to express their opinion, no matter how discomforting, irritating and harsh it may sound.

Are we able to be told the truth about where we stand, and where have we gone wrong? If we believe that we, as human beings, are bound together by a common concern for each other, then an urgent priority is upon us.

“Even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction — purpose and dignity — that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things”
(Robert F. Kennedy)

Today European Union means more than five-hundred million citizens being represented in the twenty-eight Member States. The founders of the European Union envisioned a future based on the capacity to work together in bridging divisions and in fostering peace and fellowship between all the people of this continent. Pope Francis had addressed a few important words to the European Parliament on these issues, no longer than two months ago:

“At the heart of this ambitious political project was confidence in man, not so much as a citizen or an economic agent, but in man, in men and women as persons endowed with transcendent dignity”.

This transcendence has little to do with faith and religion: it is strictly about human nature and the way men and women relate to each other. But what kind of dignity is there without the possibility of freely expressing one’s thought or professing one’s religious faith? What dignity can there be without a clear juridical framework which limits the rule of force and enables the rule of law to prevail over the power of tyranny? What dignity can men and women ever enjoy if they are subjected to all types of discrimination? What dignity can a person ever hope to find when he or she lacks food and the bare essentials for survival and, worse yet, when they lack the work which confers dignity?

The promotion of human rights is central to the commitment of the European Union to advance the dignity of the person, both within the Union and in its relations with other countries. The motto of the European Union is United in Diversity. Unity, however, does not mean uniformity of political, economic and cultural life, or ways of thinking. Indeed, all authentic unity draws from the rich diversities which make it up.

Time has come to work together in building a Europe which revolves not around numbers, but around persons. Time has come also for us, as lawyers, to reaffirm our call, our power to challenge injustice, to change society, and to make lasting contributions to the betterment of our communities and our world. We must stop the commercialization of people, of law and lawyers under the mantra “faster and cheaper”. Let us reaffirm another statement, that seems lost in the fury and the noise: “Just the best. It’s not about you; it’s about the client”.

The ancient classical Greek civilization created a masterpiece that illustrates the urgent need to fight not to go back on the road to barbarism. A small stele on Acropolis hill represents Athena, the goddess of wisdom, launching a message: “Strongly defend the conquests of mind and heart to avoid threats of time and human dangers cancelling them”. If we’d let anyone erasing them, that would be something truly stupid.

So, here are a pencil and a white sheet of paper: now, after having raised our pens, crayons and markers, it is time to use them to write the future we want. From humankind, by humankind, for humankind.