A terror plot was uncovered in which three Islamic radicals were planning an “assassination” of Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist behind the drawing. Although we sometimes criticize Europe for being less than robust in its defense of freedom, these newspapers deserve our respect and admiration. 

"We are doing this … to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend,"

Berlingske Tidende, was one of the newspapers involved in the republication by newspapers in Denmark. It said: "We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend," in comments reported by The Associated Press.Newspapers in Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands also republished the drawing Wednesday as part of their coverage of Tuesday's arrests.