Tom Lantos: “The purpose of this resolution is to express the sense of the House of Representatives condemning the racist…”

“The purpose of this resolution is to express the sense of the House of Representatives condemning the racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, homophobic speech given by a senior representative of the Nation of Islam and to condemn all manifestations and expressions of hatred and divisiveness in our country. Mr. Speaker, free speech is one of the greatest values of our free society, and all of us in this House are passionately committed to its preservation. The right to free speech, however, does not confer upon anyone the privilege of being immune from the free speech of others. When freedom of speech is abused in a vile and vicious way to promote hatred and to incite murder on a gigantic scale, it is the duty of responsible legislative bodies to condemn such speech in clear and uncertain terms.”