The ACLU is weighing whether 'some free speech isn't worth defending' after Charlottesville
The question of if "some speech isn't worth defending" is dividing members of the American Civil Liberties Union after protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one person dead earlier this month, The Associated Press writes. "I won't be a fig leaf for Nazis," tweeted one board member of the ACLU's Virginia branch after resigning:
The ACLU controversially helped convince a judge to allow the march in Charlottesville, which was attended by neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, and white supremacist groups. Virginia's governor, Terry McAuliffe (D), blamed the ACLU for creating a "powder keg" in the city.
Others in the organization have doubled down on the ACLU's longstanding values, AP reports. "If you can't stomach respecting the First Amendment rights of people you despise, you don't work here," said an ACLU associate director, Stacy Sullivan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the days just before the Charlottesville march, the ACLU had also controversially sued the Washington, D.C., transit system on behalf of a number of groups and individuals, including alt-right personality Milo Yiannopoulos. "We did not take this decision lightly. We understand the pain caused by Mr. Yiannopoulos' views," the ACLU wrote at the time. "We also understand the principles we seek to defend … that government can't censor our speech just because it doesn't like what we say."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Who will win the 2024 presidential election?
In Depth Election year is here. Who are pollsters and experts predicting to win the White House?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
National Enquirer helped Trump in 2016, ex-boss says
Speed Read David Pecker says the tabloid published fabricated content to hurt Trump's rivals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress starts clock on TikTok ban in foreign aid bill
Speed Read Lawmakers believe that the app poses a national security threat
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published