The Wall Street Journal has a story about a Dutch drawer of offensive cartoons, against interest groups such as religions, who has been arrested and may be prosecuted for violating a law preventing discrimination on the base of race and religion. Islamic sensibilities, as is often the case, appear to be at center stage.

I don’t know where this case will go. But I expect to see more throughout the Western world, and I think free speech absolutism in such matters will become less and less compelling to most people in such matters. The political incentive to be seen to be doing something about such offenses to public peace is too large.