Right to protest

As the writers of these letters should be fully aware (unless they haven't a clue or are just jumping on the bandwagon), calling criticism of the actions of the Israeli government "anti-Semitic" is completely fallacious.

On the contrary, actions such as our march give support to the many courageous Israelis who oppose the actions of their government - the soldier in jail for refusing to defend illegal settlements on Palestinian land, the many Israelis who monitor the check points, demonstrate against the illegal wall, and so on.

In the Jewish diaspora, too, there are many groups who oppose the actions of the Israeli government, as the writers of these letters are probably fully aware, though they choose not to mention them.

The Brighton and Hove branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign also has Jewish members. It has been reported there has been a rise of anti-Semitism.

Racism of any sort is abhorrent but, unfortunately, people will always exist who will find pleasure in discriminating against others because of their own sense of inadequacy or inferiority. Racism can be expressed in many ways.

Sadly, the actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinians - expropriation of land, house demolitions, destruction of olive groves, the building of settlements on Palestinian land, the creation of "settler-only" roads and, finally, the building of the "apartheid wall" are nothing other than extreme racial discrimination.

We, together with many Jewish people and courageous Israelis, have every right to protest.

• Grace Blindell Coombe Road, Brighton