JF

As a result, these progressives, particularly younger ones, have become indifferent to free speech, or, worse, come to view the defence of free speech as something foreign to the left and a weapon of oppression.

This is a historic disaster. Throughout the 20th Century from Stalin’s Purges thru the Chinese Cultural Revolution to the Khmer Rouge, it was when the left abandoned civil liberties, embracing groupthink in service of some ‘greater evil’ that we perpetrated our greatest evils.

There are at least many progressives today that do *privately* support free speech, but are afraid that if they speak out against censorship, they will be accused of racism, misogyny, transphobia, or even of giving cover to fascism.

I have received many private messages from individuals who are petrified of speaking out. Come out of the free speech closet, friends and comrades! There are more of us than you realize!

There is a need to let progressives that do support free speech know that they are not alone and to give them confidence to speak out against censorship wherever it comes from.

There needs to be a push back against all of this, in the spirit of the remarkable free-speech hero David Goldberger, and soon, as it is only getting worse.