Show caption Thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators walk to the US supreme court during the 41st annual March of Life in Washington DC on 22 January 2014. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Opinion Conservatives aren't welcome in New York, according to Governor Cuomo Heather Long Cuomo's recent remarks crossed a line. In the US, we must support freedom of speech, even when we don't like what's said Fri 24 Jan 2014 13.49 GMT Share on Facebook

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New York’s official state motto is Excelsior, often translated as “ever upward”, but if Governor Andrew Cuomo had his way, he’s prefer it to say “ever liberal”. He recently told conservative Republicans – specifically anyone who is pro-traditional marriage, pro-life or pro-guns – they “have no place in the state of New York“.

Conservative media has jumped all over Cuomo and rightfully so. It was a silly thing to say, reminiscent of the 2008 campaign trail faux pas Barack Obama made when he said people from small towns in Pennsylvania and the midwest are bitter and “cling to their guns or religion“. Obama was trying to highlight how angry people are over job losses in the rust belt, but it came off as degrading to Americans in rural areas.

Now we have Governor Cuomo picking up on a similar theme. It certainly doesn’t help heal the divisiveness in American politics, which, oddly enough, the governor was bemoaning. Here’s his full quote from last Friday:

… You’re seeing that play out in New York. … The Republican party candidates are running against the SAFE Act – it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.

Cuomo was trying to make a point about gun rights. New York was one of the few places last year that managed to pass tighter gun control laws – the SAFE Act – after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting that stunned the nation. Now some right wing groups are trying to attack the law any way they can.

But Cuomo crossed a line by saying anyone who supports traditional marriage or is against abortion is not welcome in New York. While no one would mistake New York for Utah, there’s certainly lots of diversity and “traditional values” in the state, ranging from ultra orthodox Jewish communities in the Big Apple to Amish in upstate New York. It reinforces stereotype of liberals as tolerant … as long as people are speaking views they agree with.

Whether you’re conservative, liberal or mostly apolitical, Cuomo’s comments go against the principle of the first amendment. You might not like what someone has to say, but in America, there’s a legal protection for – and certainly a spirit of – people having the right to say what they want.

If we want to talk about true extremists in the US, most would point to the Westboro Baptist Church. That’s the horrible group that shows up at military funerals, holding signs that blame America’s problems on the nation turning away from God and embracing gays. One sign even said “Thank God For Dead Soldiers”. They stand right by grave sites as families and communities are trying to honor young men and women who died for the country. One Pennsylvania father was so angry he sued the Westboro Baptist Church and the case went all the way to the US supreme court. People on all sides of the political spectrum sent money to support him. Others have tried to organize human chains around funerals to insolate families from the hate. But in the end, the supreme court upheld the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest because of America’s freedom of speech.

That’s really what has people angry about Governor Cuomo’s statement. Sure, he was trying to make a broader political point about the gun lobby and partisanship. But you don’t cross that line of telling people they basically need to shut up and move.

Many Americans say something to the effect of: “I don’t like what you’re saying, but I support your right to say it.” We have to support the rights of peaceful protestors in Utah who are rallying for gay marriage in a very conservative state. Similarly, we must support the rights of social conservatives rallying for traditional marriage in New York City.

You don’t have to love all protestors, but you have to live with them (as long as they are peaceful). You never know the issue that might cause you to want to take to the streets. You want the same legal protections and rights to voice your issues as someone else has to voice theirs.

It’s especially ironic that Cuomo made those remarks the same week that city of New York agreed to pay $18m to settle with liberal protestors who’s civil rights were violated when they came to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention that took place in the Big Apple. They wanted to make a stand against George W Bush and the war. Sadly, the city police took extreme efforts to silence them and then detain hundreds for nearly a day or, in some cases, multiple days.