For hundreds of years, liberals have been fierce opponents of authoritarianism. It has traditionally been liberals, not conservatives, who fought against restrictions on free speech, defended the right to privacy from the government, and fought abuses of power by government agencies. In contrast, conservatives have placed a higher value on maintaining social order and upholding traditional moral hierarchies.
But increasingly, it’s been liberal politicians who have demanded authoritarian restrictions on free speech and personal freedom. In December 2022, Democratic Vice Presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz claimed, “There's no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech and especially around our democracy.” In fact, the First Amendment protects both. And in 2020, Walz also implemented a Covid snitch line and encouraged residents to report violations of pandemic restrictions.
It turns out he wasn’t alone. The Civil Rights Department of California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced last year a snitch line and urged citizens to report their fellow citizens for alleged hate speech. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for greater censorship of social media platforms, and British police have over the last few days arrested three people for what they posted online. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded greater online censorship, froze bank accounts of protesting truckers, and is pushing legislation that could send a person to prison for life for speech.
