Letters in the Argus:

Letter: Heavy-handed policing threatens free speech

This is not a letter from some kind of anarchist who feels hard done by because he could not burn down a bank - but rather a stereotypical middle-aged citizen who felt the wrath of the state at first-hand on Saturday.

I was brought up to believe that the benefits we have in this country are because we have a system whereby we can freely question those in power. Sadly the demonstration I attended on Saturday did not represent those values.

The anti-war group Smash EDO gathered at Churchill Square in Brighton to demonstrate against Moulsecoomb factory EDO MBM technology which makes bomb-release components for fighter jets.

I was hemmed in and made to feel like a criminal for expressing a point of view dear to my heart.

Being shoved around, shouted at and generally overwhelmed by police does not facilitate free speech.

I travelled to the demonstration by bus and was shocked, as were many others on the bus, by the heavy police presence. There were helicopters, coaches and riot police - so many in fact that we were advised to leave the bus halfway down Western Road due to the congestion caused. This was not appreciated by elderly Christmas shoppers. All this for 150 protesters at the most!

Many shoppers on Saturday saw the police presence and feared there was a major alert. Sussex police should be far more sensitive to these concerns.

I do not deny we live in an age of heightened security but this should not equate to the silencing of free speech.

Our country was built on tolerance. Let's keep it that way.

-Mr D Caithness, Hove

Letter: Rough treatment

I was dismayed at the rough treatment by police of demonstrators at the anti-arms trade march on Saturday.

We were constantly being jostled and I witnessed several leafletters being grabbed and thrown back into the police cordon.

Despite allowing the march to go ahead, the police seemed determined to prevent us spreading our message of peace through Brighton by using such bully boy tactics.

Superintendent Kevin Moore refused to confirm how many officers were used to marshal the march. No doubt he would also refuse to reveal the cost to the taxpayer of such an operation, with more than 100 officers and a helicopter.

The police have to be held accountable to us as taxpayers for such a wasteful use of resources.

-Mary Willis, Hove

Letter: An over-reaction

When I came across a group of anti-war demonstrators outside Churchill Square shopping centre on Saturday I was immediately struck by the almost Orwellian surveillance taking place.

Ten-12 individuals were peacefully voicing their opposition to the dubious activities of EDO MBM and were being openly filmed by police.

I counted at least three officers perched above the group, carefully scanning them for archiving later on, while a helicopter buzzed overhead.

What on earth is happening to our country under this current

Government? And what a complete over-reaction by the police and an utter waste of taxpayers' money!

-Mark Huxley, Hove

Letter: Police inspection

Visiting Brighton city centre on Saturday, I was amazed to observe a march of fluorescent-jacketed police officers, never having witnessed such a show of police dissent before.

Closer inspection revealed, however, that this was, in fact, an anti-war march with the marchers all but hidden behind a police cordon.

It seems I will have to wait for another day for our police to take to the streets.

-Fred Minor, Worthing

Letter: Peaceful despite harassment

I wish to voice my concern about the provocative tactics employed by Sussex Police at the anti-arms trade march on Saturday.

As I was handing out leaflets to interested passers-by, I was often man-handled by police and on one occasion was thrown back into the march.

Onlookers expressed their disbelief at such excessively physical police behaviour.

It is a tribute to those on the march that it passed so peacefully in the face of such harassment.

-Kate Waters, Brighton

Letter: Too much protection

Doing my Christmas shopping in Churchill Square in Brighton on Saturday I was confronted by what seemed an impromptu gathering of some sort.

Despite not being the best organised of events and the nature of the gathering not being clear, the 100 or so protesters did not warrant, in my view, the same number of police, several camera teams and a helicopter overhead.

Crime must really be at a record low in our city if the police can afford to devote such resources to what was a low-key demonstration.

-Peter Phillips, Hove

Letter: Bullying tactics won't keep us quiet

We wish to thank everyone who attended the anti-EDO MBM rally and march on Saturday for their composure and solidarity in the face of another display of excessive policing by Sussex Police.

Officers tried to accost speakers at Churchill Square and cameras were constantly trained on newcomers as well as known activists to maintain an intimidatory atmosphere.

Earlier in the week we announced we wished to march down Queens Road, North Street, London Road and on to The Level. As soon as people began to gather in Churchill Square they were handed a notice to enforce the exact same route, threatening arrest if this route wasn't adhered to. At the bottom of North Road police forced marchers to deviate from this route on to Richmond Place.

Officers aggressively prevented people leaving the narrow confines of the police cordon to hand out leaflets to other members of the public in a clear attempt to stifle our democratic rights.

The many Sussex Police were again joined by officers from Surrey and the Metropolitan forces. As taxpayers we wish to ask Superintendent Kevin Moore the cost of this operation.

Camera teams followed some marchers afterwards in an unnecessarily sinister manner after a peaceful march against an arms company which is clearly unwelcome in our United Nations Peace Messenger City.

The high turnout on Saturday is further evidence the campaign against EDO MBM is growing despite attempts to stifle the right to protest.

-Andrew Beckett, Smash EDO press spokesman

Letter: Are we really the top priority?

Regarding the anti-war demo in Brighton on Saturday, I was disappointed to see such a tightly controlled and monitored demonstration.

This was despite public statements from the organisers promising a peaceful event with the route known in advance.

People of all ages and backgrounds participated peacefully in the rally and march, which was only given an air of menace by the stony-faced lines and columns of police who seemed intent on disrupting the carnival atmosphere.

I hope that in light of this peaceful demo police will reconsider their priorities in future.

-Lawrence Mackenzie, Lewes

Temporary link:  http://www.theargus.co.uk/the_argus/news_extra/

No letters of support for Inspector Moore and his Council Tax funded bully boys

Here's the e-mail address for Kevin Moore, if you'd like to discuss with him how you were abused at the demo:

 kevin.moore@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Quick, let's request the budget figures for policing EDO MBM demo's and send the figures to The Argus and those scallywags at Rough Music.