Heroes insulted

THE incident in which a pro-Palestine protester was allowed to climb over the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park corner was described as ‘unfortunate’ by Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

What’s unfortunate is that this was a direct affront to the Army and the brave soldiers who died protecting our freedom, yet the man was allowed to walk away. He should be ordered to read the history of the Royal Artillery, which might give him food for thought. carry on, the gunners. Mrs ALEX ARMSTRONG,

Broadstairs, Kent. WHY does the Met not charge those climbing on the Royal Artillery Memorial with a hate crime? We are definitely offended by their actions. M. MACLEOD, High Wycombe, Bucks. IT IS proposed that the police be given new powers of arrest for use against protesters climbing on public monuments. Actually, they just need to make better use of the powers they already have.

There has always been a commonlaw power to arrest for breach of the peace, or to prevent breach of the peace. if modern police chiefs were as good at doing their job as they are at coming up with excuses for not doing it, our citizens would be in much safer hands. COLIN MACDONALD (retired police

officer), Bottesford, Notts. i COULD almost guarantee that if i were to climb a war memorial, without a Palestinian flag, the police wouldn’t just ask me to come down. JEFFREY RICHARDSON,

Ferndown, Dorset.