UN condemns anti-Islam film, calls French cartoons provocative

2012-09-21 154

Another demonstration, another symbol of America going up in flames.

Protests against an anti-Islamic film made in the U.S. continue to attract thousands, this one in Bangladesh.

And cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad published in a French magazine on Wednesday are expected to compound this anger.

On Friday the UN condemned both elements as malicious and deliberately provocative.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN OF THE U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF, NAVI PILLAY, RUPERT COLVILLE, SAYING:

"In our view, very clearly, the best way to deal with these blatantly, stupid irresponsible publications is to ignore them, to deprive them of publicity, to not inflate them. In the case of Charlie Hebdo, given that they knew perfectly well what happened in response to the film last week, it seems doubly irresponsible from their part to have published these cartoons."

The United Nations says around 30 people have died in protests linked to the inflammatory film.