I’ve never agreed with the view that First Amendment freedom of speech protects Nazis. The First Amendment does not state we must tolerate “hate speech”.
The notion that opposing freedom of speech for Nazis and white supremacists means a slippery slope is something of a bogeyman figure; it sounds plausible to suggest that such a curtailment means everyone’s freedom of speech is in danger but it is not necessarily so.
It has been suggested that drawing such a line would be difficult if not impossible; I think it’s no more difficult than crafting language describing the hate speech enhancement of certain types of crimes.
Germany and other countries have passed anti-Nazi laws. They appear to have no trouble maintaining freedom of speech for everyone else. They know the Nazi mentality leads in only one direction and they do not wish to suffer the devastating consequences of such a movement ever again.
The Germans now see the danger more clearly than do some Americans who mean well but do not truly understand the threat posed to democracy by fascism. If the goals advocated by Nazis and white supremacists were ever realized, they would destroy that democracy of which we speak.
We are in an age where the internet has made recruitment far too easy for white supremacists; we need to find new ways to push back and recapture lost ground.
If opposing free speech for Nazis is seen as contrary to the First Amendment, so be it. Think of it as a form of civil disobedience in much the same way anti-slavery northerners once broke the law demanding that they help capture runaway slaves (when slavery was still legal).
The abolitionists helped create new laws, and we who are opposed to the Nazis can do the same. In Illinois, the state senate has already voted to designate neo-Nazis as a terrorist group. We should support similar legislation in other states.
The Constitution is not carved in stone; it was never intended to be. The framers knew ideas and social conditions could change and so they included the right to amend it.
We should also take cognizance of the increasing political maturity of the American people. There was a time when ultra-conservatives, including southern democrats, dominated Congress. Back in their home states they safeguarded both the speech and violent acts of extremist racist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan.
In the last decade of the 19th century, it is estimated that 150 Negroes were lynched annually. An organization like the KKK, with that type of violent racist history, falls outside the norm of how peaceful Americans exercise free speech and the right “peaceably to assemble”.
That is why today there is a growing sentiment among many Americans that we need not accept this racist, hate-filled, violence-provoking speech of the KKK and Neo-Nazis any longer. Enough is enough!
After the Civil War, under the Grant administration, steps were taken to stop the KKK including legislation and the use of the U.S. military. There is precedent for seeing such an organization as a violence-prone terrorist organization. We have the right, nay the duty, to stop such terrorism.
Today we have thousands of ordinary Americans willing to take to the streets to protest fascism and racism while the political leadership in Washington D.C. keeps strangely quiet.
We, too, must grow and change with the times. There is always the chance of the slippery slope but I think the American people can handle it.
I do not concede the point that supporting restrictions on white supremacists flaunting swastikas will lead to an attack on free speech for everyone else. We can and must make a special case when dealing with the hate-speech of racists and Nazis.
Certain types of speech are meant to incite fear, hatred, and division.
In this instance, we can surmise that such racist speech is meant to be a stepping stone to the organization of a functioning para-military group of thugs and ruffians who one day will use physical force to subdue their critics if given the chance.
We have the actual history of the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich to provide ample testimony as to the practices and ultimate goals of the Neo-Nazis.
History shows us how they use lies and deception to further their aims: namely, to reach a point of strength where they can rely on brute force to attack their enemies.
We’ve had to stomach the stench of their propaganda for far too long. Now that more Americans are waking up to the dangers of such fascist rhetoric, I for one welcome the awakening.
I ask myself (as others have done) at what point in time could Hitler have been stopped? In short, what lessons should we learn from World War II?
One lesson is obvious: the longer you wait, the more dangerous the fascist threat becomes.
Contrariwise, the sooner strong anti-fascist counter-measures are employed, the better the chances become of stopping such a movement before it gains strength.
Striking at an incipient fascist movement while it is still in embryonic form makes far more sense than waiting to see how much violence and terror the Neo-Nazis will wreak before realizing “something must be done”.
I’d like to ask lynched Black men swinging on southern trees, the gassed and tortured Jews of the concentration camps–the beaten and murdered victims of Nazism and racism from all around the world–what they truly believe:
I want to ask these victims if they think it is prudent to protect the rights of the Nazis and KKK assassins who amassed a long bloody record of brutality and murder towards them and others?
I wish I could ask one more person, too, to see what Heather Heyer would say:
Heather, should I fight to protect “freedom of speech” for Nazis and white supremacists or should I oppose them with all the power at my command?
You know, I’m not sure I can hear the voices of the others but I think I can hear Heather’s voice. She’s whispering “Steady on!”
We’ve been down that other crazy road already. The world came to regret—too late—the policy of permissiveness and appeasement.
This time round, I intend to support all such popular movements to up the ante so our nation can pursue a bright future free of all such scourges.
Fascism is a disease; it is a cancer that must be cut out!
Whether I’m right or wrong on the legal interpretation of the First Amendment doesn’t matter.
The souls of our brightest thinkers and fighters, the souls of all those who gave their lives in courageous struggle against racism and fascism, are calling to me:
Act now, fight now to stop the Far Right.
“Later” may be too late.
In Heather’s name, let us act!
