The values of the republic of France. This is the most sacred item in secular France. Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood! It is supposed that no religion would have any place in governance. But what about the “Liberty” Cult that is getting the shape of a full religion? Seems contradicting? But wait! Let’s define the terms first. According to Oxford Dictionary a Cult is ‘a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object’. In fact, it is one step before a religion that is defined as ‘the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods’. And liberty is the almost sacred figure of devotion in French official cult.
However, the Equality and Brotherhood are not that much sacred at all. In fact, sometimes they are sacrificed for the supreme figure ‘the Liberty’. A sample comes in the shape of the support France governments show for extremism cases of liberty of speech and specially when it comes to Islam case. The right to ridiculize and radicalize is considered one of the most essential values of the republic! If one person is blasphemed, he/she has the legal right to sue the offender. Even if the blasphemed person is dead, still the right would remain in place for his/her relatives but if you blaspheme the father of millions, a cult, or a religion, you may be considered a hero! This is Brotherhood! When a journal caricaturing the prophet of “others” out of reasoning it is a right of expression but when one academic questions the Holocaust authenticity based on scientific reasoning he is attacked in the streets, fined and deprived of essential rights and demonized (See Professor Robert Faurisson and similar cases). And then a law is approved to limit the right to free speech in this particular case to create a dogma (Antisemitism)! This is Liberty and Equality!
This is the caricature of paradoxical situation of republic values in France! Void of all elements that it advocates! Clearly because;
It is not Secular; There is a cult called Liberty with some dogma supported officially by law.
It is not Liberal; The liberty you can enjoy depends on which side you are! And in special cases there are some dogma in place which you have no liberty at all to challenge even in an academic contex!
It is not Equal; Not a same level of liberty and respect for all communities!
and not an atmosphere of respect and Brotherhood noticeable! Some are allowed to kill their to-be-Brothers with some strokes of a pen freely.
It is a full Hypocrisy at all aspects!
It is a real caricature in essence! Maybe a Demo-crisy!
But not a caricature to laugh at, when we think why this radicalization is needed by capitalists to support their arm sale and militarism and wars across the planet. Not important how many lives should perish to feed the cycle!