Before we sympathise with the protestors

perhaps we should ask ourselves some questions. The first of these would have to be, "Were they breaking the law?"

The answer to that is yes. They had permission to be peaceful in one place and not cause a disruption - nothing more and nothing less.  They had tried to get that overturned and they failed. Instead of abiding by the decision they went ahead with their own plans. They chose to break the law.

We might not like that law. We may say it goes against the long held belief we have a "right" to "free speech". It makes no difference. A law has been passed in parliament and the protestors chose to challenge it. There were good reasons for putting the law there in the first place. We may not like that either but, like the laws about speeding or paying tax, it was put there for a reason.  If we want to change it then we do so by writing to our MPs and getting a change at the ballot box if necessary. Do we want to support those who choose to break the law and potentially harm others?

Then there is the question. Do we know what the protestors are protesting about? No, don't just tell me "they are protesting against the war in Gaza", Why are they protesting about that particular war? What makes it so special that they have been out there for twenty-seven months? Asked what they are protesting about and they will give you a simplistic answer. If a problem is solved to their liking then they simply find another way to state it or another problem, another grievance.

Have we asked, "Where is the money coming from?" It costs money to protest and keep on protesting, to keep on rallying supporters of the cause. There is money behind these protests. Who is providing it, why and what do they want in return? It also costs the taxpayer in the policing of protests, even the most peaceful of protests. It also costs the businesses around the areas where the protests take place. Are they open. Is their trade being diminished?  Do the protestors believe that the $27m or more (and I am told this is a conservative estimate) spent on policing the protests in just one city is justified? What about all the services it could provide or how it could be used to educate people about their grievances?

Do we know what it is the protestors hope to achieve by protesting? Do they want to influence government policy? Is it in keeping with the policies of the day or is it a view held by a minority? Is failing to implement their demands genuinely harming our national fabric or our international reputation?

If they are protesting against a war in Gaza then why are not also protesting against something like the war in Ukraine, the war in Sudan or the regime in Iran? How do those conflicts differ so much they are apparently not worthy of protest? What about the Uighur in China, the restrictions the Taliban are placing on women and girls in Afghanistan? Why are they not shouting about the kidnapping of students in Nigeria?   Do they want women, including those protesting, to live under Sharia law?

And if they are arrested for violence, for assault (of each other as well as the police) or for blocking a public road or footpath and hindering the passage of others then what do we believe should happen to them? Do we release them without charge when tempers have cooled? Do we require them to appear in court? If so do we scold them, fine them, record a conviction or fail to record one? Do we keep a record of who they are so that it can be used against them later if they breach the law again? Does the right of some of them to pray five times a day include hindering the passage of others even in contravention of their own religious guidelines?Are they hoping we will make martyrs of them so they can expand their grievances and perhaps take the matter even higher into the legal system? How will all this be paid for?

There is no legislated right to protest in this country but we do enjoy the freedom to do it. I enjoy that freedom when I write this. It does not give me the right to harm others or restrict their freedoms and indeed rights. There is more than one way to protest. I still believe the most effective is to write an actual letter to someone who is able to make a difference because they have the authority to do that or belong to an elected group which has the authority. That will often mean a member of parliament. There are ways to write such letters - if you want them to be read and acted on.

Yes, I know I have not given you the answers. There are legal and moral questions here. We need to ask questions.