German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be honoring Kurt Westergaard for “defending democratic values in all circumstances.” The chancellor is speaking at Sanssouci Colloquium on the defense of press freedom. The event will award Kurt a prize for his “unbending engagement for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion was incredible.”
“Kurt Westergaard is a symbol for press freedom and freedom of opinion because he stands for what he is doing — and it’s not right that some people want to kill him,” Sasse said. “Death threats are not our culture. So we fight for these rights. In a good democracy, it must be possible to have different opinions and discuss things,” he continued. “This prize award is a sign from leading persons of our society that freedom of speech and of the press is very, very important for us. Whatever happens, we will fight for this – not with weapons, but with the weapon of language and awards,” Sasse said.