Press Release, 12 November 2026
On the Investigation into Michel Houellebecq: Neither Criminal nor »Controversial«
The writers’ association PEN Berlin is deeply concerned about the investigation by the French judicial authorities into Michel Houellebecq, one of France’s most internationally renowned contemporary authors. An investigation by the public prosecutor’s office into »complicity in incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence« is not yet a criminal trial, let alone a conviction. But the fact that the competent authorities apparently believe there are sufficient grounds for an initial suspicion is troubling enough. »The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man«, as the glorious Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed back in 1789.
The mere initiation of criminal proceedings – as well as police measures such as searches of private homes – can have a chilling and intimidating effect. Safeguarding freedom of expression therefore requires more than simply the absence of censorship. Even the slightest appearance of censorship must be avoided.
PEN Berlin does not believe that freedom of expression should apply without any limits or conditions whatsoever. In accordance with the Charter of PEN International, we believe that this freedom also entails responsibility. The French revolutionaries of 1789 took a very similar view: Article 11, which guarantees freedom of expression, also provides for restrictions in cases involving the »abuse of this freedom in cases determined by law«.
Commenting on the investigation into Houellebecq, PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel said: »One can debate whether Michel Houellebecq’s criticism of the behaviour of Muslim immigrants, now being called into question four years after the interview was published, or his warning about possible ›reverse Bataclan attacks‹ were justified or exaggerated, illuminatingly provocative or crudely generalising, or even offensive. But they are certainly protected by freedom of expression. A warning about violence is not an incitement to violence.«
It is nevertheless astonishing that this distinction should apparently no longer be recognised in France of all places – a country that has experienced more Islamist-motivated terrorism over the past ten to fifteen years than any other country in the Western world, and that was the scene of a racist, far-right terrorist attack only a few days ago.
PEN Berlin appeals to the French authorities to recall a piece of wisdom attributed to Charles de Gaulle: his dictum »You don’t arrest Voltaire«, with which the then French president is said to have responded to demands for Jean-Paul Sartre’s arrest over an appeal connected to the Algerian War. And we have a small request for our colleagues in the German media: If you believe Houellebecq’s views deserve criticism, by all means criticise them. But please refrain from using the insinuating label »controversial«. In the case of Michel Houellebecq, and in all other cases as well.
PEN Berlin. We stand by our word.