I WAS glad that my wife and I made the effort to go to the demonstration on Saturday in Southampton in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

While I do not support the Hamas tactic of firing rockets at Israel, we have to try to stop the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and give moral support to the Palestinians.

As a Green Party member I want to see a peaceful solution which means both sides must stop attacking each other. Israeli security needs to be addressed while freeing Gaza from its debilitating blockade.

I was also glad to see many more English people supporting the demonstration for the Palestinians in Southampton than were in the tiny English Defence League (EDL) counter demonstration.

The EDL chants of ‘scum’ were very ironic.

I was impressed by the leaders of the pro-Palestinian demonstration in their refusal to be provoked and their commitment to a civilized and peaceful demonstration.

JOHN SPOTTISWOODE, Southampton.