Audio: Pankhurst Apologises For Offending Muslims

Wednesday, 8 February 2006, 6:03 pm
Article: Scoop Audio

At a meeting of media and religious representatives it was affirmed:
A: the media who published the cartoons did not set out to insult or offend, only to inform
B: they apologise for the offence caused
C: they did not resile from the decision to publish, based on the context at that time.

The two newspapers that published the cartoons, the Dominion Post and the Press, gave an undertaking not publish them again.

Tim Pankhurst: "They recognise the freedom of speech issues, but we also accept that that does not come without responsibilities. We have agreed to apologise for causing offence that we have, but we don't resile from that fact that we did published in the first place in the context where the reaction had become the story…

"We have also agreed given the degree of offence that this has caused, to an extent that none of us had expected, that it would not be wise and we see no reason to reproduce those cartoons, and yes we have given that assurance that we would not be republishing and that is on behalf of the Dominion Post and the Press…"

Scoop Audio: Pankhurst faces the media after being forced to apologise for offensive cartoons.

Javed Khan, president of Federation of Islamic Associations had earlier told NZPA: "We are all New Zealanders, our heart is in New Zealand and we want this issue resolved peacefully."

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