By Reginald
Johnson
Does
Donald Trump have freedom of speech like all other Americans?
Yes, unfortunately he does.
Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our
system, stemming from the very first amendment to the Constitution, which bars
Congress from passing any law which would abridge that right.
In the U.S., you can pretty much say or write
anything, unless you’re advocating something illegal.
This
separates our system from a lot of other places, where if you criticize the
government or some high official too much, you could wind up in jail or worse.
It’s very important to protect the first
amendment. Without it, our constitutional system is shot.
That’s
why it’s a bit concerning that some protesters have gotten it into their heads
that the best way to combat Trump and his offensive views is by showing up at
his rallies and either shouting him down or interrupting him so many times that
he can’t effectively communicate.
The
New York Times reported that at a recent event in New Orleans, Trump’s speech
was interrupted repeatedly. The Times wrote “an almost continual stream of
protesters interrupted a Trump event, sometimes dropping to the ground to make
guards drag them out, or heckling back at Mr. Trump’s supporters with their own
crude language and gestures.”
Other campaign events by Trump have also been
interrupted on multiple occasions.
Some protesters said after the aborted Trump
rally in Chicago that they had successfully “shut down” Trump’s appearance, set
for an arena at the University of Illinois. The rally had drawn hundreds of
protesters inside the arena, and the Trump campaign cancelled the event just
after the candidate was scheduled to speak. The event descended into chaos
after the announcement, with Trump supporters and protesters yelling at each
other and exchanging punches.
“Shutting down” free speech is not a good
thing, no matter what you think of the person doing the speaking.
Anyone running for office has a right to make
their case. People who don’t like their views don’t have the right to prevent
that.
Let me say right here I do not like Donald
Trump. He's shown himself to be bigoted, denigrating Mexican and Muslim immigrants and hesitating at one point to repudiate KKK leader David Duke. Except
for a few remarks he’s made about the need to avoid overseas interventions and
his opposition to trade treaties (not expressed very coherently), I have no use
for this man.
He’s also made irresponsible remarks about
protesters, saying he wouldn’t care if they got punched out or remarking that
“in the old days” they’d take demonstrators “out on a stretcher.”
He also said he would pay the legal fees for
anyone who beat up a protester who was “getting ready to throw a tomato.”
These inflammatory remarks may well have
fueled some incidents of violence, notably the sucker-punching of a
demonstrator by a Trump supporter as the protester was being removed from a
rally. Trump said last weekend that he
didn’t want to see any violence at his events, but he refused to criticize the
man who threw the punch.
For his views and his incendiary remarks, Trump
deserves to be condemned. The question is where and when.
If a candidate from any party has obtained a
hall or space to hold a campaign rally and make his or her pitch on why they
should be elected, that person and his supporters should not be subjected to
protests in the same area.
However, it is entirely appropriate to hold
demonstrations or protests outside the hall or space. Opponents of Trump should
hold mass demonstrations outside the venues where Trump is going to speak.
Protest rallies with hundreds or thousands of people will get press attention. Critics can set up soft picket lines
outside Trump events, carry placards, hand out leaflets and try to buttonhole
event-goers and tell them why Trump is not a good candidate.
Opponents can also take out ads in the paper,
write letters, and write op-eds criticizing Trump.
There’s plenty of ways to show opposition to
candidates besides engaging in blocking tactics at campaign rallies.
Should anti-Trump protesters continue their
efforts at interrupting speeches, it is likely that opponents of Hillary Clinton
or Bernie Sanders will decide to return the favor and show up at rallies for those candidates
and disrupt their speeches. Campaign rallies could degenerate into circuses,
which is not fair to either to the candidates trying to make their case or the
people who came to hear what they have to say.