Cartoonist Ben Heine Banned by Deviantart

Artist and political cartoonist Ben Heine today had his deviantart account

suspended for having posted this political cartoon on his gallery page:

http://benheine.deviantart.com/

Ben had created his cartoon (the one here reproduced on the left)

following a recent famous statement by Pope Benedict XVI

on his visit to Africa. Even before he got off the plane the pope made this

comment on condoms: "One cannot overcome the problem of AIDS with the

distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters on the plane. "On the contrary, they increase the

problem."

To be honest the decision by DeviantArt to ban Ben from their site did not take me by surprise.

Now in our western societies at the time of the (in)famous Mohamed cartoons many felt that the

fundemantalism and lack of freedom of expression belonged to the Muslim countries only, but in

fact (almost everyday) we have proofs (and this is only another one) that our societies are not

immune by this kind of stupidity, fear and censhorship.