Wherever people like you and me are willing step up and actually fight. A "free society" is not some intrinsic property; we get to have a free society - and a democratically elected government - if and only if we defend it.

Patrick Stewart has a great line at the end of TNG 4x21 "The Drumhead"[1]

    [V]illains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot.
    Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged.
    ...
    [Admiral Satie] or someone like her will always be with us,
    waiting for the right climate in which to flourish – spreading fear
    in the name of righteousness. Vigilance, Mr. Worf. That is the price
    we have to continually pay.

Any system will eventually fail if it isn't maintained. When we allow small, trivial abuses of power, people become conditioned to expect exceptions to the rule of law. These exceptions are normalized into a power structure that deviates significantly from anything resembling a free society.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eahs1H9tdcU