Surely it would not be a problem to have Markus stay on topic and avoid any controversial territory in his remarks.

However, is it possible to ask others to refrain from "calling him out" in such a public setting? No, not at all. Notch is a hated figure, and he is hated with an intensity that only Progressive religious fervor can bring about.

This is how you silence people. By your own actions, make association with the target so troublesome that the institutions - reliably feckless as they are - will simply prefer to exclude them.