As someone who feels passionately about the accumulation of wealth by the multinational corporations while millions die needlessly or live and work in impoverished conditions, I am deeply concerned at the violence caused by a minority at protests such as on May Day.

It may be refreshing for some to hear support for the police coming from a left-wing radical. My reasons are simple but often taken for granted. Peaceful protest is, of course, a fundamentally important civil liberty. However, protest which uses violence has the delegitimising effect on the aim of peaceful protest. It creates an association of violence and disorder with oppositional movements and provides an understandable disincentive for the public to be interested in coherent organisational alternatives to capitalism.

I therefore support the police to the extent they controlled violent protest and hope the violent protesters realise their actions have a detrimental effect on public awareness of the deficiencies of capitalism.

-Edward Phelps, Seafield Road, Hove