Freedom of speech is under threat

The U-turn forced upon Simon Langton Boys’ school to ban Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking (‘School laments forced decision to axe visit of controversial ex-pupil’, November 24) is yet another reflection of the times we live in.

Not so long ago the forces of law and order would have protected the rights of the school students to listen in safety to a controversial speaker.

Not any more. We now have an emasculated, politicised, under-resourced police force, (sorry, police service) which is unable to carry out its primary function of protecting the public. It would rather sacrifice the principle of free speech than confront the howling, baying mob that would have been so rapidly and readily assembled via social media had it gone ahead.

We now have a society consisting of the ‘Snowflake Generation’ studying at our universities, small groups of people attempting to gag the press, and others dictating (successfully) to the Bank of England as to how our currency should be manufactured.

Freedom of speech is seriously under threat in this country from the “tyranny of the minority”. Mike Bull Spire Avenue, Whitstable This stunning photo was taken by Martin Jameson at the Hambrook Marshes in Canterbury

would disagree. I just hope the people behind the interference in these Islamic countries feel the guilt that they ought to.

And while I’m about it, I believe I am correct in writing that an Easternleading party (the Party of Regions) won an election in Kiev several years ago and, though the west often spouts about the merits of democracy, it seems to only be in favour when it suits them. Yet again they supported a revolution and one can add Ukraine to the list of countries they have destabilised.

So am I suffering from megalomania or am I right? Ian Macmillan Sandwich Road, Ash