Snico compares Chud the Builder backlash to Charlie Kirk debate after shocking arrest case in Tennessee (Image via Getty)
Sneko believes Dalton Eatherly’s arrest could become a key moment in the debate over free speech in America. The live streamer reacted strongly after Chud the Builder was arrested in Tennessee on May 13 following a shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville.
During his live broadcast, Sneko said the situation showed that “freedom of expression is now being challenged” and said people are losing the rights they were promised under the constitution. He claimed that people have become too quick to punish speech, even when it comes to just words. Snico also talked about how some people online have compared Chud the Builder to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was murdered last year.Sneko said:“Freedom of speech has now been challenged in a way that we won’t be able to come back from. We no longer have freedom of speech the way we’re supposed to. We don’t have the rights of amendment that we were promised. If you can’t say words in a vacuum… say one word like that, people will get very upset and will challenge it even more.”Although Sneko said he disagreed with many of Charlie Kirk’s views, he also said violence should never happen over political differences. He added:“Charlie Kirk was talking about gang violence. He was talking about problems within America.
I don’t agree with a lot of what he said. “I used to poke him all the time…but I don’t think anything so violent should have happened to him.”
The shooting in Montgomery County Court led to attempted murder charges against Dalton Eatherly
According to CNN and a statement from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. Authorities said two people were shot during the incident, including Dalton Eatherly, known online as Chud the Builder.
The second person involved has not been publicly identified.The two men were taken to nearby hospitals. By Wednesday evening, officials confirmed that both were in stable condition.After the shooting, authorities charged Etherly with attempted murder, use of a firearm during a dangerous felony, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault. Officials also confirmed that he remains in custody awaiting trial.Before his arrest, Etherly spoke about the incident during a live broadcast. He claimed he “had to defend” himself after an altercation with the other man. During the video, he described how the man pointed at him and laughed before tension escalated between them.CNN also reported that Eatherly had previously used racist language in his online videos, including calling black people “chimpanzees.” During the livestream after the shooting, the other man allegedly warned Etherly not to say “all that chimpanzee stuff” before the fight got physical.The case has now sparked a wider online debate about freedom of expression and online behavior and whether offensive speech should be compared to real-world violence. While Sneko focused on constitutional rights during his reaction, critics online argued that repeating hateful language can also create dangerous situations.