Students the wrong priority for the Met

Paul Stephenson's resignation ( Report , 18 July) confirms that the Metropolitan police has lost all sense of priority. Last week Assistant Commissioner John Yates explained to parliament that he was "too busy fighting terrorism to tackle hacking". Yet the force also saw fit to assign up to 200 officers to Operations Malone and Brontide, arresting several hundred students for their involvement in anti-fees protests, subjecting them to dawn raids, long months of bail and even investigation by counter-terrorism officers. Last week Francis Fernie was jailed for 12 months for throwing two placard sticks at riot police during the TUC anti-cuts march. Charlie Gilmour was given 16 months for sitting on the bonnet of a car during an anti-fees demonstration. Haven't Bullingdon Club members escaped scot free for worse? Protesters have been demonised by the same Murdoch press which turns a blind eye to police violence. Defending his force's excessive policing, Stephenson also attacked protesters as "thugs" and promised a "full criminal investigation" following the 9 December anti-fees demonstration. He led a force that dedicated far more resources to hounding protesters than investigating the real criminals employed by Murdoch. We demand that all prosecutions brought against protesters as a result of investigations by this tainted force and charging decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service be dropped and that an inquiry be held into the process that has led to punitive sentences being meted out by the judiciary to those already convicted. Hannah Dee Chair, Defend the Right to Protest Tony Benn Michael Mansfield QC Louise Christian Lawyer Mark Thomas Comedian Michelle Stanistreet General secretary, NUJ Len McCuskey General secretary, Unite Liam Burns President, NUS John McDonnell MP Billy Hayes President, CWU Lee Hall Screenwriter, Billy Elliot Jody McIntyre Equality Movement Zita Holbourne Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts Nina Power Senior lecturer, Roehampton University Alan Gibbons Author Mark Bergfeld Education Activist Network, NUS NEC Kanja Sessay NUS Black Students Jim Wolfreys UCU NEC Laurie Penny Journalist, New Internationalist Michael Chessum National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts, NUS NEC Claire Solomon President, ULU