A Point of Principle

It is not surprising anti-war protests across Russia have been broken up by police, with many arrests being made. This is to be expected in a country where free speech is limited to what the state media deems acceptable.

We are privileged in Britain, and many other democratic countries, to be permitted, as a right, to voice disapproval of government actions and to register our opposition or approval of other regimes.

This freedom has been exercised most recently in the mass rallies in support of BLM. It has also been very apparent in protests against Israel, with placards making defamatory comments about the state and urging the British government to adopt BDS against an alleged Apartheid state.

Now is the time for these activists who, presumably,  have a moral compass that is set to oppose injustice wherever it arises, to come out onto the streets in condemnation of Russian aggression. We look to vociferous democrats such as Mr. Jeremy Corbyn et al to organise a rally in support of the Ukrainian people.

After all, the thousands who regularly vent their spleen against a little country like Israel, will have enough moral indignation left to advocate ostracising a tyrant state and support, without equivocation, BDS against a far from democratic regime. The initiative is yours Mr Corbyn.