Is the right of petition protected in the same way as free speech?

The analogy to libel cases is apt. The right of petition, like the right of free speech, is "of the essence of [a person's] guaranteed personal liberty." (DeJonge v. Oregon, supra, 299 U.S. 353, 366, 57 S.Ct. 255, 260, 81 L.Ed. 278.) Like the right of free speech, it should be scrupulously protected. We thus accord substantial weight to the need to protect the right of petition as a factor counterbalancing the tort policies which favor recognition of the city's cause of action.