The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. ~ Marcus Aurelius“It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
― George Orwell, 1984
“The urge to shout filthy words at the top of his voice was as strong as ever.”
― George Orwell, 1984
It means free from Government repercussions. If a citizen wants to respond in a way that stays within their rights, that is fine. If they get physical, however, they are wrong. It is free speech for all, or free speech for none. There isn't a middle ground on this. When you start letting the Government decide who can and cannot speak, that isn't free speech anymore.
I'll quote a movie. Not the same context, but the same principle:
America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours." You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.