Sarah Palin Defends Duck Dynasty Star’s Anti-Gay Remarks: ‘Free Speech Is An Endangered Species’

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has come to the defense of Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson , after he was put on “indefinite hiatus” following anti-gay and controversial racist remarks he made in a recent GQ interview.

Palin, whose own daughter Bristol Palin came under fire for speaking out against gay marriage, went on Facebook to voice her reaction, charging that the suspension is an attack on freedom of speech.

“Free speech is an endangered species,” she wrote, alongside a photo of herself with the cast of the show.

“Those ‘intolerants’ hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us.”

As RadarOnline.com has reported, Robertson came under fire for his graphic comments about homosexuality he made in a recent interview with GQ.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Robertson says in the January issue of the men’s magazine.

“That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical. Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

The A&E network announced Wednesday that the star would be placed on “indefinite hiatus.”

“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” A&E said in a statement. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil on hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

After the announcement, Faith Driven Consumer, an organization connecting Christian consumers with faith-compatible companies, has launched the IStandWithPhil.com petition, which calls for The A&E Network to immediately reinstate Robertson to its #1 hit show.

The online petition cites the A&E network’s “intolerant, discriminatory, and punitive treatment” of the Duck Dynasty star, noting that “A&E’s position, which in your own words is ‘championing’ the gay and lesbian community… effectively censors a legitimate viewpoint held by the majority of Americans.”