That's what he's saying, but of course, he doesn't really mean it. "Free speech" means that the state's employees and its school inmates turn out for party-approved events, just like in Cuba or North Korea.
A teacher in (iirc) California was suspended for raising the question of whether the school administration would support a student walkout to protest abortion.
Let’s face it. He wants to run for President in 2020 and is setting himself up. Nothing else.