Salman Rushdie Warns Free Expression Under Threat in Rare Public Address After Attack

Salman Rushdie Warns Free Expression Under Threat in Rare Public Address After Attack
Salman Rushdie attends the 68th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner in New York on Nov. 15, 2017. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
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LONDON—Writer Salman Rushdie has made a public speech, nine months after being stabbed and seriously injured onstage, warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime.

Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award on Monday evening. Organizers said the honor “acknowledges the determination of authors, publishers, and booksellers who take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.”