Violence against MPs has become worryingly normalised

No matter what you think of Farage, the reality is that it is assault, plain and simple (AFP via Getty Images)

It’s rather sad that people seem to think their right to protest supersedes the rights of others to live their lives unmolested. The first time someone threw a milkshake over Nigel Farage it was a bit of a giggle, just as it was in 2012 when someone cracked an egg on Ed Miliband’s shoulder in Southampton and he simply laughed it off. But somehow such behaviour has now become normalised and is escalating. The reality is that it is assault, plain and simple.

Just because protesters might vehemently disagree with somebody does not mean they have the right to attack them in the street. That is simply an extension of the same mindset that sees people trash banks, ransack public spaces, set alight emergency vehicles, and shout down anyone with an alternate perspective. It’s not how a civilised society works, and it certainly isn’t going to persuade anybody to re-evaluate their political thinking.

We are fortunate to live in a democratic country, one with the privilege of freedom of speech – something denied to many in other parts of the world. It means that every political group has the right to make their case, while the public makes their choice at the ballot box.