The Royal Wedding couldn't come at a better time – we need a distraction from political chaos

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At a time when there is so much doom and gloom in the news the prospect of a royal wedding – especially one involving Prince Harry and his fiancée – is surely to be welcomed.

Windsor will surely benefit in a number of ways from the publicity that will go with this major event. And for an hour or two the nation (and possibly the world) will be able to forget about nerve agents, Brexit and other troubling issues.

Roll on 19 May!

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Staines

It is alarming to see Clara Ponsati targeted in Scotland

It is pleasing to see so many come to the defence of Professor Clara Ponsati, the former minister in the now-deposed Catalan government and an academic at the University of St Andrews.

While the Spanish government is seeking her extradition over her role in Catalonia’s independence referendum, charged with rebellion and violence against the unity of the Spanish state, this is no more than a political prosecution of someone who promoted a peaceful referendum. Indeed, the only violence around that particular event was that which came from Spanish forces.

It should be noted, however, that her chances of successfully fighting extradition are good. Scotland is bound by the Extradition Act 2003 and is a party to the European Arrest Warrant system.

The sheriff is entitled to look at bars to extradition as set out in the Extradition Act and to consider whether extradition is proportionate and compatible with the Human Rights Act. The criminal offence for which extradition is sought, must be a criminal offence in the Requested State (Scotland) and the Requesting State (Spain). If it is not, then extradition cannot be ordered for that offence.

If Ponsati’s extradition is sought for the offence of sedition, then this offence was abolished in Scotland in 2011 so there is no dual criminality. Secondly, the sheriff can refuse extradition if he or she believes that the extradition is politically motivated.

For Ponsati to be targeted for standing up to her political beliefs is deeply alarming, and there is a clear duty on us all to protect and support her.

Alex Orr
Edinburgh

Threat to independent Scotland?

As a Catalan separatist, Clara Ponsati faces arrest in St Andrews, does Nicola Sturgeon’s strongly stated response suggest the SNP leader has now given up hope of an independent Scotland one day joining the EU?

Each country aspiring to join the EU needs the backing of every member. At the very best, her oft repeated seemingly careless words have surely confined an independent Scotland to the back of the long queue of countries seeking EU entry.

Martin Redfern
Edinburgh

The art of mastering difficult sums

John Jerrim in his article (“win sum lose sum”) tells us that four out of 10 adults in England can’t perform even the simplest of sums. Presumably they were able to make an informed judgement on the economic effects of Brexit. Or did they just rely on the lies on the side of the buses?

G Forward
Stirling

Corbyn has spent his entire life fighting injustice

As the latest anti-Corbyn furore unfolds I can’t help glancing at my desk calendar and noting that the May elections aren’t far off. Mere coincidence, no doubt.

I am of Jewish extraction. My extended family, from Hungary, suffered unspeakable suffering and losses during the Holocaust and I most certainly do not take any instances of antisemitism lightly. Regarding the current clamour for Jeremy Corbyn to address the problem of antisemitism within the Labour Party, I think we have to examine how much of it is actually real.

Several “moderate” Labour MPs, most of the mainstream media and numerous Jewish groups have built up a tsunami of condemnation for Corbyn and the shadow cabinet’s perceived lack action in rooting out anti-Jewish prejudice amongst the Labour rank and file. In his BBC interview yesterday, Tony Blair inferred that criticism of Zionism was tantamount to antisemitism.

Which brings us to the nub of the problem. Much legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions in the Occupied Territories and Gaza is being deliberately conflated with antisemitism. Many pro-Israeli Jews proclaim you can’t knock Israel without being an antisemite. Corbyn’s stance on Palestinian rights is well known, so joining in with the current drive to weaken the Labour leadership before the local elections makes perfect sense. Grab burning switches and pitchforks folks, let’s go get him!

With typical honesty, Corbyn has admitted that there are some antisemites within Labour. Not nearly as many as his detractors are trumpeting, but in an egalitarian party such as ours any is too many. And it’s true that some racists have tried to make their poisonous voices heard amongst those critical of Israel’s actions. And as far as other political parties are concerned, let those who are without sin cast the first stone.

What is disheartening but unsurprising is that the media, and particularly the BBC, are neglecting to make any mention of the thousands upon thousands of UK jews who don’t buy into the “Israel right or wrong” mantra and have spoken up in support of Jeremy Corbyn. The bitter irony here is that Corbyn has spent his entire life fighting injustice and prejudice; for so many people to accuse him of “going easy on bigots” is an untruth of Orwellian proportions.

Paul Halas
Stroud

Latent outrage

In 2015, there was considerable political and public support for Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine, to be free to publish cartoons of Muhammad – cartoons that millions of Muslims found highly offensive. People queued to buy copies. Today, in the UK, there is considerable outrage at the “Freedom for Humanity” mural, briefly displayed in East London in 2012, that is said by most as manifestly antisemitic.

Away from the hullabaloo, does not that discrepancy merit reflection and explanation? After all, my guess is that many of the people outraged at the mural were defenders of Charlie Hebdo’s right to offend Muslims.

Peter Cave
London W1