re: Free speech
Speech is flowing but how about the other side listening or not?
Talking is communicating and there are always two sides who communicate.
However, when one side starts threatening, even not physically but just with words, it might not prevent the other from speaking, but it does disrupt the communication.
To increase my assertiveness, I've followed lessons in communicating (this is most obvious while on the phone) and what's disturbing is when one side sudenly becomes personal. The other side must try to bring him back to the level he wanted before (factual, for instance). But for that, the side responding to a personal attack must also become personal and that's not always what he wants.
Raoul