There is a segment of our population that has spent the better part of the last few decades trying to convince the rest of us that “speech is violence.” We tended to see this mostly coming from college campuses and were able to mostly write them off as the echo-chamber nuts they were. They mostly said that as a way to shout down (or worse) ideas they didn’t like.
We’re seeing a trend now of flipping the equation. Now with the widespread rioting we’re being told to believe that violence is speech. Burning buildings, looting businesses, injuring people, destruction of property —that’s all just “protesting” and as such is constitutionally protected speech.
It is all an inconsistent, illogical game. Speech is violence, so they can punch you if they don’t like what you have to say. The next day violence is speech, so you have to protect their criminal actions.
Nobody is fooled. Either way it is just people using the equation as it suits them to do what they please. There is no free speech in a society without the rule of law. Without enforcement of law, the only opinions you will ever hear will be the ones coming from the side that hits the hardest.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
It seems that it’s a matter of choosing which part of the First Amendment applies to their cause and what that part means to them or combining the parts to create something new.
Changing Freedom of Speech from ‘verbal statements’ to ‘actions’ would mean that anything you do that sends a message is protected. Add ‘Assemble’ to that, minus the ‘Peaceably” and you can have a riot that is protected. And since you’re sending a message to the Government, it would be considered a ‘Petition”.
We have crossed the bridge from Shouting “Fire” in a crowded theater, is Not Protected Speech, to Setting fire to a crowded theater, is Protected Speech.