Extremists: Police must act to enforce law

DAVID Stanbury is correct in saying that ‘different views are not always extremist’; this also applies to taking part in peaceful protests.

However, there is no doubt that many ‘protests’ that are taking place today are far from peaceful, particularly from some of the more extreme climate change ‘activists’ and other groups and, while I’m sure that there are many who support the aims of the genuine climate change protesters, they should be aware that by doing so they are also giving a tacit support to the extremists.

Whatever their case may be, there is no excuse for outright vandalism, causing damage to property whether state-owned or private, targeting and intimidating prominent people such as MPs and their families in their homes.

Whether the Prime Minister was correct to say in his speech about ‘mob rule’ is possibly debatable, but ordinary MPs should not have to hire bodyguards or be given Government cars because they fear for their own safety because of their views on a particular subject or Party allegiance.

Neither is it acceptable to make those who worship a different religion feel unsafe in an area in which have they lived for many years because of events in another country.

Like many peaceful protests in the past, these have been hijacked by the far left (or far right) purely to further their own anarchic interests, and to whom the rule of law and decent behaviour is an anathema.

If the police have now been granted extra powers to cope with some of the more extreme ‘protests’, then they should start to use them and the magistrates and judges should also do their bit and start handing out more severe sentences.

No one would want to see a total ‘police state’ in this country or a dictatorial ‘one-party state’, but if there are those who cannot make their point without resorting to violence, vandalism and intimidation, then both state and police must act to enforce the law. Paul Mercer

Devon