In Carol Selsberg’s Aug. 15 letter to the editor, “Stand up against America’s enemy: Hate,” it seems she blames a lot of what recently happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Donald Trump.

He said right from the start that there was wrongdoing on both sides. He was correct. All the hate groups are wrong, but they are a small group of people if you look at the big picture.

The people who went to protest the skinheads were in the wrong also. I don’t know who started it, and I don’t care.

Did all the bleeding-heart liberals forget what free speech is about? I’m not defending the skinheads, but I believe they have a right to say whatever they want. I also have a right to ignore them, which is what I do.

By showing up to protest them, you’re giving them what they want: attention! It seems to me that free speech applies only to Democrats now. As long as you agree with their views, everything is peachy. If you disagree, you’re a racist or a bigot or a homophobe or whatever word they’re throwing around that week.

The best thing everyone could have done was to ignore the protesters. Until the skinheads start hurting someone, just leave them alone. If you’re going to say that words hurt, then you’re probably 12 years old. Grow up!

Doug Haltizer

Gorham