British writer Salman Rushdie was attacked on Friday as he started a conference in Chautauqua, New York, reports the American news agency AP. In a statement, New York State Police say the perpetrator was “stabbed in the neck” and evokes a “apparent injury”. Salman Rushdie was then airlifted to the area hospital. On the scene, the interviewer was also said to have suffered a slight head injury.
Shortly after the attack, Salman Rushdie was surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to help the blood circulate better in his chest. His condition is not known at this time. Hundreds of people in the audience were evacuated. The attacker was immediately arrested and taken into custody.
New York senator and Senate Democrat boss Chuck Summer talks on Twitter about a “shocking and appalling attack”. “It is an attack on freedom of expression and thought, which are two fundamental values of our country and of the Chautauqua Institution.he adds. I hope Salman Rushdie makes a speedy and full recovery and that the perpetrator receives full accountability and justice.”
A symbol, Salman Rushdie, a figure in the fight against religious obscurantism and for freedom of expression, was attacked as he began a conference at the Chautauqua Institution. Founded in 1874 as a Methodist camp on the shores of Lake Chautauqua, at the southwestern tip of New York State, the institution offers educational and cultural activities every summer, from late June to late August, with a emphasis on interreligious dialogue. Among the guests this year, in addition to Salman Rushdie, were Nobel Peace Prize winners Nadia Murad and Maria Ressa.
In February 1989, after the release of his novel satanic verses, deemed blasphemous in Iran, Rushdie is the subject of a fatwa by Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini calling for his death. A bounty of over $3 million was offered to anyone who killed him. Salman Rushdie has thus become a symbol of the fight against religious obscurantism.
More information to come…
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