Re Zoe Williams’ article (Being a republican in Britain used to be perfectly respectable. So why are people now getting arrested for it?, 12 September), I identify politically as a republican. It baffles me that in the 21st century I should be expected to show deference to an individual because of an accident of birth that entitles them to otherwise unattainable power, wealth and legal privilege.
I grew up in a Middle Eastern police state where I learned from a young age to be guarded in what I say and fearful of the consequences of speaking out. Having now made my home in the UK, in no small part to escape the stifling of human freedom in my country of birth, I confess that the sight and reports of arrests and police harassment of individuals expressing republican beliefs have been profoundly unsettling. I’ve warned my children to tread carefully and not express any views critical of the monarchy, given the belligerent intolerance demonstrated towards those calling for its abolition.
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