Good of the rozzers at Belgravia to make the Met's political philosophy crystal clear: English Defence League, no problem; right to demonstrate protected, not even officially classified as an extreme organisation. Anarchism, a 200-year-old (non-racist) egalitarian political theory, now apparently de facto illegal (Spotted an anarchist? Ring us now, say anti-terror police, 1 August). Perhaps they should take a taxi to the Freedom Press – "Britain's largest anarchist bookshop" – in the East End. Plenty of adherents there. I suppose if this is published, I'll be put on Plod's database? Although since they once nicked me for having the temerity to carry a black flag on a demo ...

Dave Young

London

• You quote Jason Sands, a south London anarchist, saying: "There is nothing inherently criminal about political philosophy, whatever it is." He is surely right about anarchism; but there may be political philosophies which come close to being inherently criminal, if for instance they intrinsically involve the incitement of racial hatred. Breivik's philosophy, and of other rightwing groups, provides a timely example. The police ought to stop harassing anarchists and start targeting rightwing extremists.

Dr Rupert Read

University of East Anglia

• "First they came for the socialists (trade unionists, Jews), and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist (trade unionist, Jew). Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me." In the spirit of Pastor Niemoller, should we not all be anarchists now?

Lucy Craig

London

• So the police think "anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state undesirable, unnecessary and harmful...". They might be interested in a group that meets regularly in their vicinity at 10 Downing Street.

Donald Ross

Liverpool

• As someone who holds these philosophical views, but has previously expressed them through senior activism and elected office in the Conservative party, ought I to now turn myself in?

Russell Le Page

London

• Let's start with the phone hackers and bankers. They all seem to consider the state "unnecessary and harmful".

Terry Cooper

Sheffield

• As an elderly anarchist, I am delighted to see the improvement in understanding since the time of the cold war, when police could discern no difference between anarchists and Stalinists.

Donald Rooum

London