What have those who wrote report had to face from their ivory towers?

IWRITE having read the inquiry report in the Bristol Post last Thursday under the headline ‘Police breached fundamental rights at protest’.

A group of MPs and peers have proposed amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC) which was due to be debated on Monday as a result of their findings.

You will forgive my thoughts of finding, yet again, the police are consistently painted as in the wrong when dealing with ‘protesters’ as they like to be known. They follow the guidelines as laid out and still suffer the critics.

Seeing the videos and pictures of hate- and anger-filled faces, often armed with weapons and putting the police and bystanders in peril, I would ask the inquiry report’s writers the question again: “In your warm and cosy quiet offices and safe behind that wall of distance to daily life, have you ever had faces at touching/spitting distance shouting above all the surrounding noise and reaching, or striking out, for you with no thought but to do harm?” I doubt it very much.

To this I would add, trying to set fire to a vehicle whilst manned! Such low base, feral, behaviour shows no one in a good light.

I doubt any of them have been in such a position and yet they dare to criticise the way our officers are subjected to, and respond to, much worse than this.

In doing so they condone the behaviour of the rabble – for that is what they are – while sitting there comfortably and seeing only what suits them.

They quote the police as not taking Covid-19 risks into consideration. I would make the point that each and every ‘protest’ was seen to be devoid of many masks and distancing.

Peaceful protests should be exactly that, but they are hijacked by thugs and anarchists intent on only one thing which means they disrupt each and every other person’s right to a normal existence – that is not something that should be allowed.

The MPs and peers should think again about the amendments – and visit the real world, where they should consider each and every other person who asks for safety and security in their daily life.

The police do an amazing job with, it seems, little thanks from those who should be supporting both them and their policies. Disgusted

Bristol