From the Autocrats' Playbook

 As described in the book Strongmen by Ghiat, the autocrat attempts to set up a political climate in which citizens are afraid to criticize the would-be dictator for fear of what will happen to them if the dictator comes to power.  This hideous tactic used by Hitler, Mussolini, and others, is intimidating and insidious.  All the more reason to openly and strongly oppose the presumptuous tyrant.