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Cruz emphasizes strong conservatism: March 12 speech

Cruz told reporters he believed protesters used their right to free speech to infringe on other's right to free speech yesterday
Willis Ryder Arnold | St. Louis Public Radio
Cruz told reporters he believed protesters used their right to free speech to infringe on other's right to free speech.

Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz held a rally at Parkway West High School one day after protests interrupted Donald Trump yesterday in St. Louis and caused the New York businessman to cancel a gathering in Chicago.

Before taking the stage Cruz blamed most of that disruption on forces outside the Republican Party.

“Everyone has a First Amendment right to speak but the First Amendment does not give you the right to silence others. And we’ve seen -- whether it is the Bernie Sanders campaign or the Black Lives Matter or others -- we’ve seen some protesters that take speech into intimidation or violence,” he said.

He also acknowledged that a campaign’s behavior “begins and ends at the top,” and appealed to civility.

Throughout the rally, Cruz appealed to his religious conservative base. Cruz said the election would come down to three issues: jobs, freedom and security.