Belgian Foreign minister denounces "despicable" attack on Salman Rushie

"Violence against an author is intolerable and the attack on Salman Rushdie before his lecture is despicable", Belgian Foreign Affairs minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on Twitter following the attack on British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie in upstate New York on Friday.

"The free expression of thought, culture, artists and their works allows our societies to progress. We stand with him and his family", the minister continued. The minister tweeted her reaction in three languagues: the Belgian national languages Dutch and French, and English.

Rushdie was stabbed on Friday just before a lecture he was set to give in northern New York State, about 470 kilometres from New York City. Nothing is known so far (Friday evening, Belgian time) about the perpetrator. He has, however, been arrested. This was confirmed by the New York State police. Kathy Hochul, the governor of the state of New York, stated that Rushdie was still alive and had been taken to hospital.

(BRV)

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