I earlier came across the frankly idiotic notion that the people at Charlie Hebdo deserved what they got, and that the attacks were somehow to be expected given their provocation. I know I should just ignore such foolishness, but it gets on my nerves: using that logic, one could justify any act of oppression in history. Did Martin Luther King deserve to be assassinated because he spoke out? Yes, Charlie Hebdo provoked people – that is, after all, what being provocative means – but that is a necessary, healthy part of culture. From time to time, I try to be provocative and edgy; I try to speak out, saying things others might disagree with. Do I deserve attacking? This person, who I will not dignify by naming or linking to, thus seemingly either justified terrorism or advocated censorship. Either position is moronic. We must not allow such idiots to use these atrocities as an excuse for oppression; we must not allow the illiberal right to hijack this situation for their own hateful purposes. The moment that even one thought, one sentence is repressed or withdrawn, we all those something very precious indeed – something that those journalists last week died for.