On Saturday a group of more than 100 Brighton residents travelled to London to join a march to the US embassy and protest about the detention without trial of British residents held in Guantanamo Bay, including local man Omar Deghayes.

This protest was, of course, also for the many nameless, forgotten and wretched victims there who have effectively been left to rot by the US with the tacit approval of the UK Government.

Because of the repressive Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA), those who were able to speak at the start of the march - such as Bruce Kent, Vanessa Redgrave and Mozaam Begg - were expressly forbidden from using a megaphone.

This meant they could only be heard by a small number of people at the front - people at the back didn't even realise anyone was speaking. This was because the start of the march was within the "no protest" exclusion zone around Parliament specified by the Act.

As usual, the police filmed and photographed many protesters.

I wonder if the Met could hire former police officers from former Eastern Bloc countries as consultants.

They have much experience of this kind of policing and would no doubt be useful. Their knowledge and experience would be especially useful in handling those citizens (or dissidents) who do not accept this legislation and are determined to fight any attacks on freedom of speech in this country.

-Glenn Williams, Brighton