It is part of the legal duties of the police to uphold the law, prevent crime and protect life and property (Row over demo charges, 20 February). The right to protest is enshrined in articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and must be upheld by the police. We had a similar situation at Menwith Hill, when the police informed us that it was our responsibility to organise road closures and safety issues. It was up to us to make sure all clauses were covered by us. We refused to accept this and, with the help of Liberty, the legal duties of the police were brought to their attention. They conceded the point and the demonstration went ahead with the help of North Yorkshire police.
Lindis Percy
Joint coordinator, Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases
• I am an academic physician aged 93 years and a survivor of colon cancer. I have read and reread the article on death by Tim Lott (Don’t be scared of death. It’s what makes life worth living, 20 February). It is superlatively good. It deserves to be in permanently accessible form. I am arranging an equivalent to “keeping a skull on my desk as the monks once did”, “for death is part of life”.
Professor Desmond Laurence
London
• One has to be very careful with geography puns (Letters, 21 February): there’s a branch of the RSPCA that proclaims “Helping Bury Animals”.
Derrick Cameron
Stoke-on-Trent
• I guess those who used it were returning to Norwich from Burma (be upstairs ready my angel).
Peter Gibson
Morebath, Devon
• Watton Earth are you thinking? Can we please call a Holt.
Richard Gilyead
Saffron Walden, Essex
