Letter: Eyewitness accounts of how a rally against the Criminal Justice Bill turned into a riot
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Not for the first time, a peaceful and sincere demonstration - this time, against the impending Criminal Justice Bill - has been marred by the behaviour of a minority.
Most of those who went on the march were, I believe, there like myself to 'defend diversity, defend dissent', in the words of one placard I saw. The right to peaceful protest must be safeguarded and whatever the headaches that New Age travellers and rave parties cause, criminalisation is not the solution. Unfortunately, as usual, there was a macho hard-left minority present, to whom liberal values of tolerance, justice and protest are of no interest.
Their agenda is at least as authoritarian as any the right puts forward: class war, revolution and destruction. They want conformity on their terms, not the right to non-conformity that inspires liberals.
I shall continue to go on demonstrations to show my unease at unjust legislation and policy. I urge lots of 'ordinary' liberal citizens to do the same, to marginalise those from the nasty, intolerant and repressive hard left whose provocation of violence serves only the interests of the repressive right.
Yours sincerely,
SARAH LUDFORD
London, N1
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments