Megyn Kelly backs free speech in a powerful way, and the video goes viral. The Fox News Channel anchor battled her guest, Richard Fowler, on Tuesday over the limits of Freedom of Speech in the aftermath of the shooting that took place during the “Draw Muhammad” contest in Texas.
Does free speech come with limits? Some people like Bill O’Reilly say yes, others believe that is not the case and “hate speech” should not be censored. Megyn Kelly, the host of The Kelly File on FNC, opposes O’Reilly in this debate.
On Sunday, two gunmen were killed in Texas at the end of a “Draw Muhammad” contest. The event took place in a school arena in Garland and was promoted as a celebration of free speech by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization that has been dubbed anti-Muslim by some. ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack and vowed to go after Pamela Geller, president of the AFDI.
In light of those developments, voices on different sides of the political spectrum have said that the “Draw Muhammad” contest was a mistake and an unnecessary form of provocation. For example, O’Reilly stated that the event crossed a line and “spurred a violent attack.” However, Geller is not backing down. The controversial political activist wrote in the Time:
“Islamic law as it’s interpreted by extremists forbids criticism of Islam, the Quran, and Muhammad. If they cannot be criticized in the United States, we are in effect accepting Islamic law as overriding the freedom of speech.”
Richard Fowler, who was a guest on The Kelly File last night, says that free speech comes with limits. The 28-year-old radio host explained:
“Freedom of speech comes with limits, and this is a clear limit. It’s just like going into a movie theater and yelling out ‘fire.’”
Kelly hit back with:
“No it isn’t. You’re totally wrong.”
Fowler claims that his position on the subject is just common sense, but the host using a ruling of the US Supreme Court said that “hate speech” is protected by the Constitution.
The Megyn Kelly’s defense of free speech has sparked an intense conversation online. On one side, some commentators say that America should never cave due to the behavior of violent extremists. On the other aisle, few have pointed out that if it was a “Draw a Jew” contest, free speech defenders would have been a bit more quiet.
What do you think of the debate? Should free speech be censored?
