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Originally Posted by MarchHare
Are you saying that the right to freedom of speech and public gathering should be absolute without any restrictions?
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Free speech ends where it incites violence.
When the Nazis Came to Skokie: Freedom for Speech We Hate
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The debate was clear-cut: American Nazis claimed the right of free speech while their Jewish "targets" claimed the right to live without intimidation. The town, arguing that the march would assault the sensibilities of its citizens and spark violence, managed to win a court injunction against the marchers. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union took the case and successfully defended the Nazis' right to free speech.
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Skokie attorneys argued that for Holocaust survivors, seeing the swastika was like being physically attacked. The state Supreme Court rejected that argument, ruling that display of the swastika is a symbolic form of free speech entitled to First Amendment protections and determined that the swastika itself did not constitute "fighting words." Its ruling allowed the National Socialist Party of America to march.
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The New York Times looks at how the issue and the ACLU are under fire again.
After Backing Alt-Right in Charlottesville, A.C.L.U. Wrestles With Its Role