Krauthammer on Coulter at Berkeley: ‘Reaching a Situation Where’ ‘Fascist Gangs Can Shut Down Free Speech’

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” columnist Charles Krauthammer weighed in on the cancellation of Ann Coulter’s Berkeley speech by stating, “we’re reaching a situation where thugs are threatening violence. Basically, fascist gangs can shut down free speech.”

Krauthammer said, “[T]he danger here is, that we’re reaching a situation where thugs are threatening violence. Basically, fascist gangs can shut down free speech.”

He added, “If you can’t have the government guaranteeing the safety of speakers, then we have lost the — one of the fundamental uniting elements of our society. If there’s anything that unites us, it’s belief in the First Amendment, belief in free speech. whenever you talk about America, what makes us unique, we believe in liberty. It begins with religious liberty, and it also begins with free speech. And if you can’t get agreement on defending that, I mean, the obligation of any authority right now, is to say Ann Coulter can speak, and we will protect her. That’s why you pay your taxes. That’s why we have police. And we are not going to allow a gang of thugs, really fascist gangs — this is how it started in Europe in the 20s and the 30s, fascist gangs would literally intimidate their opponents to the point where they became dominant. I don’t think they’re going to take over. This is not Mussolini. But nonetheless, it is very disturbing that in America, somebody cannot speak because there are thugs who threaten violence.”

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