One of the reasons we're dealing with the wave of de-platforming on virtually every segment of the Internet-which has bled into meat space-is because no one stood up for Andrew Anglin's right to free speech, aside from Tucker Carlson, when he was under legal assault.
You can't preserve freedom of expression and freedom of association if you carve out exceptions for speech that you feel is vile or offensive.
Exactly correct.
Inciting violence, and threats is not free speech. The judge got it right. This in no interferes with Anglin’s right to express his political views, it only prevents him from trying to destroy someone’s life.
Yup, Daily Stormer was the test case. After Charlottesville—where ANTIFA, who had no permits to be there, were deliberately pushed by police into the Unite the Right marchers for the clear purpose of creating violence—the order came down to push the Daily Stormer off the internet.
We looked the other way because they were “just a Nazi site.”
Today its Life site news, a mainstream conservative publication getting kicked off their registrar. Tomorrow they’ll be taking our ability to process payments on FR.
There was a time when the norms of civility were such Anglin’s hateful words and actions would be seen as totally looney and worthy of simple scorn. But now, the extremists, mainly the left, have destroyed decorum, leaving it up to courts to rule. Left to itself, the government will always rule in favor of suppression of free speech.
It will get reversed on appeal.
The Supreme Court held that the Westboro Baptist Church has a Constitutional right to hold “Thank God for dead soldiers” protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. Pretty much anything is fair game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snyder_v._Phelps
Agreed.
Incorrect. A call to action is not freedom of expression. He could say any nasty thing that comes into his head but once he incites others and asks them to ACT upon his incitement it becomes action and not speech.