In 2015, two years after the presentation of the Shaheed report, more than 50 states, from both the Global North and the Global South, in collaboration with civil society organizations, prepared a resolution on artistic freedom. The signatories, including Armenia, Denmark, and Georgia, confirmed that they would “continue to engage in the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression, including artistic and creative expression, wherever it is threatened. world, with the worldwide use of social media and the spread of trolling and ‘fake news’, such controversies are easily broadcast from one corner of the world to another.” No doubt, we live in a world where there are new sensitivities and where old ones are reignited, and where groups in societies openly, and sometimes violently, express how they feel ‘offended’ by an artistic expression that conflicts with their worldviews and ideologies. As important as this statement is, it should, however, be noted that violators of artistic freedom, such as Turkey, Hungary, and Poland, were among the countries supporting the statement. Thus, individuals or groups feeling offended may very well have good arguments, but the right to freedom of expression goes both ways and criticizing or ridiculing politicians or religions are basic human rights, whereas outright hate speech is illegal. Although international conventions allow for restrictions on artistic freedom when these expressions may threaten the security of a state, especially under states of emergency, it is extremely difficult to prove how certain expressions may de facto pose a risk. Earlier, the same year as this statement was made, terrorists had attacked the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and killed several staff members. And in the years following several attacks were made on concerts in France, UK and USA, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people attending the concerts. So, one issue is state censorship, but civil groups (religious and political) are frequently involved in threats and even attacks on artistic freedom. This creates fear, and in many cases also selfcensorship amongst creators as well as organizers. As described in the Whyatt/Reitov report ‘ARTS. Protecting and Promoting Artistic Freedom.’ 14 “Conflicts over artistic expression frequently stem from tensions within societies, which are based on opposing political, social or religious views and traditions. Some of these conflicts spread beyond the local context. In a globalized 14 https://hildata.uni-hildesheim.de/api/v1/objects/uuid/ acb0f28d-631d-4eb3-8393-55965670477a/file/id/18175/file_version/name/original 19