At an “America First” rally with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in Georgia, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) ratcheted up the rhetoric against Big Tech companies to potentially dangerous levels. The third-term congressman is currently under federal investigation as to whether he had sex with a minor. Former Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg is cooperating with federal investigators in Florida as part of a plea agreement.

Gaetz ripped into Silicon Valley on Thursday night using conservative boilerplate before taking an especially dark and menacing turn.

The internet’s hall monitors out in Silicon Valley, they think they can suppress us, discourage us. Maybe if you’re just a little less patriotic. Maybe if you just conform to their way of thinking a little more, then you’ll be allowed to participate in the digital world.

Well you know what? Silicon Valley can’t cancel this movement, or this rally, or this Congressman. We have a Second Amendment in this country, and I think we have an obligation to use it.

Even by the bombastic Gaetz’s standards, the comments are shocking in their naked call to take up arms against people and entities whose policies they disagree with. Note also, he told the crowd they don’t merely have an option to use their Second Amendment rights in this context, but an obligation.

Unsurprisingly, Gaetz’s comments drew harsh criticism from people on Twitter, including Gaetz’s fellow House Republican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois:

This is not speech protected by the first amendment. This is beyond yelling fire in a theater. https://t.co/FyIcIqqsIl

— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 28, 2021

Kinzinger was hardly alone in asserting that Gaetz’s horrendous remarks aren’t protected by the First Amendment, though they almost certainly are. The Supreme Court has ruled that advocating violence is constitutionally protected speech, unless said speech is likely to cause “imminent lawless action.” That would be a very difficult standard to meet in this case.

Watch above via something called Right Side Broadcasting Network.

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