Sir Mark Rowley, above left, during a raid in Sutton [MPS]

• WITH the police arrests (Commissioner: Arrests are of ‘violent people’, August 9) after offences committed on July 31 along Whitehall, a show of unity by communities at places like Walthamstow, North Finchley, Harrow and Croydon on the Wednesday night – and the police presence – we saw off the far right who bottled it.

Now over the years I have had my disagreements with Metropolitan Police Service commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, but I totally agree with the statements that he made on BBC Radio 4 the following morning.

He said: “…I think the show of force from the police and frankly the show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges that we’ve seen”.

It’s not often you get the commissioner of police praising Londoners’ show of unity.

I have been going to anti-racist demonstrations since my school days, from the 1970s, and this must be the first time that both the police and mainstream media have welcomed our actions in light of the threat posed by the far right to London.

Long may it continue.

But let us not be complacent and not forget the victims of the vicious attack in Southport.

MURAD QURESHI
@MuradQureshiLDN
www.muradqureshi.com