Re: “We must protect the rights of those with whom we disagree” By Hana Golightly, Mahtab Laghaei and Rosemary Hu · 8 years, 1 month ago The notion that free speech is somehow okay, even if it compromises the safety of others, is a delusion. We pretend that violence must be physical. It doesn’t. Words and images are powerful and affect people's psyches — to deny that is ignorant.