Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment Zones or derisively as Free speech cages) are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech. Although such zones existed earlier, instituted by the Clinton administration, they gained more attention after the WTO Meeting of 1999 and have been used vigorously by the George W. Bush administration. Civil libertarians claim that they are used as a form of censorship and public relations management to conceal opposition from the public and elected officials. There is much controversy surrounding the creation of these areas the mere existence of such zones is offensive to some people, who maintain that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution makes the entire country an unrestricted free speech zone.

Personally, I’m one of those that are offended by the mere thought of these places being in existance. In effect they’re methods of saying “Yeah we care about free speech, just do it over there in the corner where we can’t hear you, the TV crew can’t see you, and you won’t be able to change anything.”