In the wake of “right wing provocateur” and “free speech advocate” Milo Yiannopoulos‘s loss of his book deal and subsequent resignation from his editor position at Breitbart News, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange took to Twitter to condemn what he called a campaign of “censorship” celebrated by liberals.
“US ‘liberals’ today celebrate the censorship of right-wing UK provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos over teen sex quote,” Assange tweeted, linking to Yiannopoulos’s Facebook apology for past comments where he seemed to suggest that relationships between adults and children can sometimes be beneficial.
US 'liberals' today celebrate the censorship of right-wing UK provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos over teen sex quote.https://t.co/bz6dH0jyhk
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) February 21, 2017
Although there was a mixed response, a majority of Twitter users slammed Assange’s tweet, some for his rather vague reference to Milo’s comments as “teen sex,” and others pointing out that “censorship” and private entities declining to do business with someone who could hurt their brand are two different things.
But the most pointed response came from Kevin Broom, who uses the Twitter handle @Broom_Kevin:
@JulianAssange You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of 1st amendment right to free speech.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
@JulianAssange 1st amendment bars the GOVERNMENT from censoring speech. It doesn’t absolve individuals from consequences of their speech.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
@JulianAssange 1st amendment bars the GOVERNMENT from censoring speech. It doesn’t absolve individuals from consequences of their speech.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
@JulianAssange Rather, private organizations have decided not to give him their platforms to amplify his thoughts.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
@JulianAssange That is not government censorship. It’s a consequence of expressing thoughts that are counter to values of those groups.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
@JulianAssange In other words, it’s “the marketplace” of ideas rejecting Milo’s ideas. It’s not censorship.
— Kevin Broom (@Broom_Kevin) February 21, 2017
You can read the entire Twitter thread here.
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