FERGUSON

There are two worrying themes about the protests and demonstrations currently going on in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.

The first is that despite 50+ years of civil rights and positive discrimination legislation, race is still a divisive issue in the United States. Ferguson is overwhelmingly black; its police force is overwhelmingly white. The shooting of (black) Michael Brown by a (white) police officer, though shrouded in mystery, seems to be yet another example of young black men being hassled, or worse, by the forces of law and order.

The second, and in some ways even more worrying theme (because nobody seems to want to change things), is how those forces of law and order operate. In many ways, with riot gear, tear gas, Swat teams and the like, they look more like the military than ordinary policemen. I have always liked the fact that British policemen wear a silly hat and don't carry guns; both make them less threatening (though the number that carry guns is rising). Conversely, I have always been surprised by the fact that Danish and Swedish policemen routinely carry guns.

There is an innate tension between the public goods of freedom and security. Since 9/11, the balance has swung, in my view, too far towards the latter. What is happening in Ferguson is one of the consequences. Sadly, it won't be the last.

Walter Blotscher