Silencing by legal thuggery has become the norm

You may know nothing about Femen activism or post-Arab Spring Tunisia but if you saw the picture of the “pacifying” of a woman protester in front of the EU Commission (Irish Examiner, June 26) you know which side you’re on.

There is something absolutely contemptible about using physical force against a naked or semi-naked woman. And this in front of a Commission ever ready to condemn such brutal measures in “undemocratic” or “repressive” regimes. The security guard reminds you of a jungle predator, the bellowing mouth, the casual pinioning of his “prey” by leaning his body weight on her neck.

This silencing of protest by legal thuggery has become the norm as the forces of reaction capture our formerly social-democratic institutions. Is this the EU you want? Those who would be free must challenge illegitimate power or Europe’s great experiment in trust is over.