Covington Catholic High School mob from another angle,, over the shoulder of the smirker

[Squinch]

23. And I am saying that what you are calling the "provocation" was merely 5 idiots spewing

hate through a microphone. They were exercising their right to free speech, however abhorrent we find that speech.

The 5 guys did not approach the boys. The boys came to them. They did not touch the boys. They did nothing but speak. They did what you and I would fight for their right to do, no matter how much we disagreed with what they were saying.

There was no provocation. The boys could have walked on. The boys could have argued back at the 5 idiots, exercising their own right to free speech. There was nothing in the preceding events that could be legitimately construed as provoking 50 near-men to surround Mr. Phillips, who was unrelated to either group, prevent his escape, scream at him, taunt him, insult him and intimidate him.

If we are going to start characterizing hateful free speech as provocation to assaults like the one perpetrated on Mr. Phillips, we may as well hang up the Constitution and give up.