What are the legal, moral, and societal repercussions for free speech? For many people, particularly in conservative circles, the answer to that question has traditionally been rather easy. Free speech in America is absolute. As long as you aren’t threatening physical violence against anyone, you should be able to make your views known, even if they are abhorrent to many others. But it’s equally true that your speech is only protected from repercussions against you by the government. Your fellow citizens not only have the right to debate you but to take non-violent actions against you in response to your speech. Liberals were the first to master this new art form, introducing us to cancel culture and what has become known as doxxing. Conservatives have been playing catch-up in this sport, with Libs of TikTok being one of the prime examples.

The war in Gaza has brought a fresh focus to this debate. The massive anti-Israel protests we’ve seen in cities, on college campuses, and even inside the halls of government have horrified many. It is now standard for these activists to show up wearing face masks or a keffiyeh, concealing their identity. Some of them are already learning the hard way that such speech can have consequences for their college or their future careers. They complain bitterly about being punished for simply speaking out in favor of Hamas, but this pattern appears to be the new norm. The editors at the Washington Free Beacon tackled this tricky subject yesterday in a piece where they declare that “You Have the Right to be Doxxed.”

There was a time when civil disobedience implied that the disobedient would accept some consequence for their actions and that bearing those consequences demonstrated a commitment to the cause that was so deep it might persuade others. But these masked congressional staffers and their keffiyeh-wearing counterparts on campuses aren’t seeking to persuade—they seek to intimidate. It is not civil disobedience, it is an attempt at mob rule by a violent fringe.

The disgruntled Capitol Hill staffers lambasted their bosses, members of the House and Senate, for “not listening to the people they represent.” They demanded! When was the last time you put a list of demands in front of your boss while wearing a mask? If you want to tell your boss—who was actually elected by the people he represents—that he doesn’t know how to do his job, own it.

The Capitol Hill incident in question took place on November 8 when more than 100 congressional staffers walked out to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. All wore face masks or keffiyehs to conceal their identity, but it wasn’t difficult for their office managers to figure out who was missing. The identities of many of them were made public and there are already repercussions brewing. So are we all okay with that?

It’s generally uncomfortable to tell other citizens that they shouldn’t express their opinions, at least for most conservatives. The proper response to speech you disagree with is to respond with speech of your own making a counterargument. Silencing people should generally be frowned upon. But as the Free Beacon points out, public speech has always carried nongovernmental consequences in certain scenarios. You have the legal right to walk into your boss’s office and declare that you don’t like “taking orders from an ignorant, fat b**tch.” You can’t be arrested for that, but you also have the right to be filing for unemployment by the end of the day. You can try taking the employer to court over your dismissal, but you likely won’t fare well.

There has traditionally been a vaguely defined line between opinions that are up for valid public debate and positions that are widely considered beyond the pale. You can take to the public stump and cry out for higher or lower taxes, stronger or open borders, or denounce your local officials for their failure to fix the potholes on your street. Few if any will seek to punish you for doing so.

But expressing support for Hitler, Nazism, or the holocaust has traditionally been a large step over that red line. Protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, decrying “Zionism,” or the destruction of the Jewish state are now being seen in the same light by many. That might result in a loss of funding to your university or your being marked on Linkedin as an undesirable hire. You still retain your right to free speech and the government cannot be allowed to censor you. But as uncomfortable as it may be for many of us to see it, you also clearly have the right to be doxxed. The real irony in all of this is that those complaining the loudest are the same ones who deeply embraced cancel culture in the first place. It’s not so much fun when you’re the one being canceled, is it?