International Trade Associations Condemn Recent Attacks on Booksellers & Publishers

On Wednesday, October 1, the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) strongly condemned a series of attacks on publishing houses and bookshops in Greece and the attempted firebombing of publisher Gibson Square in the U.K. In a joint statement, IPA and IBF said they "support the freedom to publish without fear of attack or reprisal, and cannot accept attempts by any individual, group, or government to censor through violence and intimidation those who write, publish, or sell on any issue, be it on politics, culture, or faith." The American Booksellers Association is a member of the IBF.

During the spring and summer, there were a series of politically motivated attacks on publishers and their bookshops in Athens. IPA and IBF noted that "the publishers and the bookshops concerned seem to hold right-wing political views" and "all of the attacks reportedly lasted some 15 to 20 minutes without police interference."

This past weekend, the offices of London-based Gibson Square were set on fire. Law enforcement officials believe the London attack is linked to the publisher's plans to release The Jewel of Medina on October 30. The book by Sherry Jones is a fictional account of the Prophet Muhammad's relationship with his favorite wife, Aisha. Random House's Ballantine Books had planned to publish the book in the U.S. but canceled publication plans in August; the book has since been bought in the U.S. by Beaufort Books.

IBF President Karl Pus said: "Freedom of expression and freedom to publish are fundamental conditions for any democracy. These freedoms are prerequisites for an informed exchange of information, views, and values among citizens. They constitute a right to inform, discuss, and criticize. Religious believers have a right not to be discriminated against on the basis of their beliefs [in that sense, freedom of religion is fundamental], but they cannot expect their religion to be set free from criticism. Similarly, the holders of a given political view cannot expect their political beliefs to be set free from criticism. Reciprocally, freedom of expression implies a right to contest and protest peacefully against any utterance that one dislikes or feels insulted by. It goes without saying, violence, including fire bombings, should be banned in all circumstances."

Ana Maria Cabanellas, IPA president, added: "One must take these attacks very seriously, condemning them firmly and reminding all that at the very heart of freedom of expression and freedom to publish one has the right to debate openly and publicly different positions and views on political, religious, or ethical matters, and to take opposing views. Governments should ensure that open debates, in particular about controversial issues, must take place in a non-violent form. To quote Heinrich Heine: 'In a place where they burn books, they will end up burning human beings.'"

Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, called the attack on the home of the British publisher of The Jewel of Medina shocking. "People have a right to protest the sale of books they dislike, but there must be no tolerance for violence against publishers and booksellers," said Finan.