Re:First Amendment in Peril?
by chrisco255 on Saturday August 19, 2017 @06:24PM
(#15055971)
Unless they are literally calling for imminent violence against other human beings, it is their right to protest. It's your right to counter-protest all the same. But it's not your right to get violent. Ever. Only in self-defense. What the hell happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?
[ Parent
| on HN ]
I never said it was counterprotester's "right" to intervene physically. I do argue it's in rare cases the right "right" to do.
My point is that if left unrestricted, free speech kills itself. Those who speak against it can end it without ever doing anything violent.
You can't wait for something illegal to intervene.
I'm not saying it's somehow "wrong" to have a 1st amendment style law as in the US - I'm saying it doesn't matter. When people speak against the open society and people's equal value, society will try to stop them. If it's in the law as in Germany then those that intervene have police uniform. When it's not law, those who intervene don't have police uniforms, and do formal "right" to do it.
Third option where nazis speak freely and people listen and then meet their opinions with their own? Not happening, anywhere.