Ep. 220: Political violence and speech

Did overheated political rhetoric lead to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump?

On today’s show we explore political violence: its history, its causes, and its relationship with free speech. Flemming Rose is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He previously served as foreign affairs editor and culture editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. In 2005, he was principally responsible for publishing the cartoons that initiated the Muhammad cartoons controversy.

Nadine Strossen is a professor emerita at New York Law School, former president of the ACLU, and a senior fellow at FIRE.

Jacob Mchangama is the founder and executive director of The Future of Free Speech. He is a research professor at Vanderbilt University and a senior fellow at FIRE.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:45 Initial reactions to Trump assassination attempt

7:39 Can we blame political violence on rhetoric?

15:56 Weimar and Nazi Germany

26:05 Is the Constitution a “suicide pact”?

39:21 Is violence ever justified?

49:24 Censorship in the wake of tragedy and true threats

59:06 Closing thoughts

1:04:54 Outro

Show notes:

Episode transcript

“Freedom of expression and social conflict” by Christian Bjørnskov and Jacob Mchangama

FIRE’s 2024 College Free Speech Rankings (featuring data on college student support for violence)

Recent court ruling in DeRay McKesson protest case

“The Tyranny of Silence” by Flemming Rose

“Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media” by Jacob Mchangama