The British-Indian author, Salman Rushdie, was stabbed in New York at an event a few moments before he was set to make a speech. Rushdie’s stabbing has sent shockwaves around the world, with leaders like UK PM Boris Johnson reacting strongly against the incident. Johnson said that the Midnight’s Children author was stabbed ”

while exercising a right we should never cease to defend.” Notably, post the fatwa being issued against Rushdie, it was the British government that offered him protection. Check out Johnson’s tweet here:

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the candidates who are vying to replace Johnson as the PM, have also come out with statements against the incident. Sunak said in a statement on Twitter, “Shocked to hear of the attack on Salman Rushdie in New York. A champion of free speech and artistic freedom. He’s in our thoughts tonight”. Here’s a look at his tweet:

Truss called the attack disgraceful and stressed on the importance of one’s freedom to express one’s opinions. She also said that freedom of speech must always be defended. British journalist Piers Morgan said in a statement, “Horrific – and all because Salman Rushdie exercised his right to free speech”.

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The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, reacted to the incident on social media, also stressing upon the importance of freedom of speech:

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Slovenian PM Janez Janša also reacted to the incident, saying:

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, who was also subject to the wrath of Islamic fundamentalists because of her literary works, has also reacted to the incident:

Rushdie is currently on ventilation, battling for his life. The attack on him reminds us of how some other cultural icons and inspirational figures like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and Mahatma Gandhi were shot to death.