Lest you thought that Trish Draper was a uniquely Australian product, it seems attacks on freedom of speech are not confined to the Anglo-Saxon world. Two government MPs in France are calling for the prosecution of a rap artist, “Monsieur R,” for “hate speech” for the lyrics on his new album, Politikment Incorrect, according to this Le Monde report (in French).

You can see why they might take offence; his songs include lines like “France is a b*tch, don’t forget to f*ck her till she’s worn out”, and “I p*ss on Napoleon and General de Gaulle.” They also objected to a video clip in which “France is represented by two half-naked women who show off by rubbing themselves indecently with the Tricolour.”

The complaint neatly illustrates the way censorship debates mix s*x and politics – and now, of course, terrorism. One of the MPs, François Grosdidier, is quoted as saying that “his message, received by alienated youth, can create a sentiment of revolt against France and the west, and even give legitimacy to the vocation of terrorism.”

Monsieur R, in turn, responds that he has been completely misunderstood: “When I talk about France, I am not talking about the French people but about the government.” But from a government member’s point of view, that just makes it worse. So much for the quaint belief that a campaign against “dirty pictures” and the like will not end up restricting political speech as well.