Burned at the stake was a metaphor. I think it's a good metaphor for what happened to Morrissey over the past decade.
The idea that the only retaliation restricting freedom of speech is legal prosecution is absurd. There are many forms of retaliation. Peter Tatchell has never been prosecuted. He has been beaten up on several occasions though, and almost killed. The brave protesters in Iran of late are heroic beyond words. I think prosecution is the least of their worries.
As well as retaliation being violence and death, retaliation can also be social, financial, and loss of career. And who knows - maybe even loss of an album?
PayPal have even restricted access to accounts for some people accused of 'hate speech', i.e. people who think you can't change sex. The move of many Western countries towards digital currencies is absolutely chilling. We know where that is heading. I think we would all agree that these social and financial forms of retaliation may be less serious than violence and death, but they can still have significant implications on the individual at the receiving end. The list of people in the enlightened West who have lost their jobs and their livelihoods for their views is extensive. And the ultimate irony? In the UK 'hate speech' has its origin in the Public Order Act passed by the Thatcher government to restrict protest during the Miners' Strike, with the introduction of 'words and behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress'. The f***ing irony. And yet 'hate speech' is beloved by the left.