An excellent speech and one of my favorites as a Hitchens fan. One quibble: he's a bit confused on the court cases in the first few minutes.

The "crowded theater" phrase and the original "clear and present danger" test were developed by Holmes in Schenck v. U.S. (1918). That case did not involve the Yiddish-speaking socialists that Hitchens references, but rather the Philadelphia Socialist Party that had distributed 15k flyers encouraging men not to comply with the WWI draft. Holmes delivered the opinion for a unanimous court upholding the convictions with the CPD test. The decision is a mess, and Hitchens is right to point out its pathetic reasoning.

The case of Yiddish-speaking socialists is a subsequent one, Abrams v. U.S. (1919). That case upheld the convictions of Russian immigrants who opposed Wilson's meddling with the Russian Revolution on the side of the Russian government. Hitchens is definitely correct that they were the ones identifying a "fire" in a "crowded theater" (i.e., speaking about Wilson's authoritarian foreign policy), especially as insular minorities who had already lived under a draconian regime. But it should be noted that Holmes dissented in that case, arguing that the CPD test had not been met - the speech was too tenuous with any probable harm. So, Hitchens might be overshooting a little.

That said, his overarching point that Holmes' test was on the wrong footing is absolutely correct. And the upshot is the same: who decides on "harmful" speech is the right question to ask in all of these cases.

Don't worry. You're not the only one watching the masterpiece of a speech in 2024.
Rest in peace, Mr. Hitchens!

"Don't take refuge in the false security of consensus" just a sensational message

Hitch died 10 years ago today. The world is worse off because of it. This speech is a masterpiece.

“Where are your priorities? You’re giving away what’s most precious in your society and your giving it away without a fight, and you’re even praising the people who want to deny your right to resist it. Shame on you while you do this. Make the best use of the time you’ve got left. This is really serious.”

This is probably my favorite speech ever.  I listen to it whenever I'm feeling a little blue.  It doesn't always cheer me up completely, but it never completely fails either.

This may sound crazy but I think that this may be the most important video on youtube.

Extremely prophetic considering the absolute state the UK is in today.

"Don't take refuge in the false security of consensus."

I fucking love him. Something that should be so easy to do, taken for granted by so many and so eloquently yet simply stated.

One of the most brilliant speeches on Free Speech and one everyone should hear. He is SO missed.

This speech should be at the first page of school and university books

I just sat through this speech for - I think - the 12th or 13th time.
I still think it's one of the most important (and possibly desperate) expressions of REAL morality within my lifetime, and I'm almost 80.

I must have listened to this speech about 10 times, alongside everything else Christopher has on YouTube. I’ve never had the feeling of missing somebody I have never met. I can’t find anyone as articulate, well read, and willing to stand in opposition to the general consensus in today’s society. How I wish he was still alive.

If it were possible, I'd have this entire video tattooed on my forehead.

"Don't take refuge in the false security of consensus"

This is my favorite speech. There’s no sense in trying to express it more eloquently, so I just share this vid all the time.

Freedom loving people should watch this once a month.

This is one of the most important speeches ever spoken. Especially with the way the cancel culture and society is today. Thank u, Hitch. RIP 🙏

One of the great speeches and greatest defenses of free speech.

Hitchens is truly missed, especially where we are today.