WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is sharpening her criticism of an anti-Islam video that provoked protests in the Arab world.

Clinton said the film is ‘‘disgusting and reprehensible.’’ She called it a cynical attempt to offend people for their religious beliefs.

But Clinton said the US would never stop Americans from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful. And she said the film is no justification for violence or attacks on US diplomatic facilities and personnel.

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Clinton said Thursday the US is monitoring protests in Yemen and elsewhere. She’s urging countries to take steps to prevent protests escalating into violence.