“The entire operation was a total failure on every level.”

I also have sympathy for the soldiers who did the shooting, what else where they expected to do, with a handful of them, massively outnumbered by the ships passengers and crew? They had extremely limited options. But, I think you are making assumptions here about the objective of the operation.

As you say they had literally months to plan this op and would surely have been aware of the consequences of different strategies, which brings me to my point: killing 10 people is a damn good way to make sure the people who wish to render assistance to the inhabitants of Gaza will think twice before doing anything like this again. I find it very hard indeed to believe that the raid, mounted exactly as you have described (inexperienced troops, at night, and a highly aggressive storming of the ships by armed commandos rather than a blockade), would have an outcome that was much different than the one that in fact occurred. I don’t suggest that killing was the objective, only that a confrontation was utterly inevitable, therefore must have been the objective.

It is an established principle in law that one does not need to demonstrate intent, only that the outcome of a particular action was reasonably predictable. This was quite clearly an act of state-sponsored terrorism (look up any definition of terrorism you wish to, but the US State Department’s one is quite good), intended to scare the crap out of anyone opposing Israel in the most in-your-face and aggressive manner possible, I don’t see how any other credible conclusion is possible.

I agree with the politicisation of the police and this is of concern not just ethically but constitutionally too. However, just because the States, Canada and France are worse does not mean that an arbitrary invocation of an all encompassing law is right.

The errors in the information have been well documented and like the demise of poor Mr. Tomlinson, none of this reflects well upon the Met who seem to be following their political masters in both stupidity and lack of accountability.

I left the Police Service in the early 80’s when it started to become politicised and have seen the Police at work in the USA and in Canada where I now live. By transatlantic standards I do feel that you have can have little complaint over the behaviour of the Met officers outside the Hilton.

I don’t think the French gendarmerie have ever been accused of being civilised. The current closure of the ‘Jungle’ is proof of this. They are virtually a paramilitary organisation who live in barracks and have a flaming grenade as their cap-badge!

I agree with your sentiments in that the law t’was ever thus. But in a historical context mostof us wouldn’t have the right to vote let alone protest. The point is that as a society we are supposed to be evolving, we should have put the dark days of repression behind us. This government did some great things in their first few years, things they were rightly proud of. Sadly they are reverting, post 9/11, to the theory that the law is nought but orders backd by threats (Austin I think).