SIR – Karl Dallas (T&A, June 21) attempts to draw a parallel between the Bloody Sunday shootings, and the shooting of nine activists on the Gaza flotilla by Israeli military.

There are important differences. At no point were the Nationalists of Northern Ireland a threat to the very existence of Britain (or England). Hamas, the government of Gaza, have as their aim the elimination of Israel.

The demonstrators in Derry, it was clear to most observers, were unarmed, and did not attack the British soldiers. The Gaza demonstrators, on one ship, did attack the Israelis first.

Mr Dallas speaks of “a people whose crime was to democratically elect a government of whom Tel Aviv, Washington etc, disapprove”.

No, the “crime” is that the Hamas government has a terrorist programme. Need I mention a government in the 1930s which was also democratically elected?

Why do we never hear from Karl Dallas about full-scale massacres of Muslims by other Muslims (as I write, 26 deaths by car bomb in Iraq)?

A Michael Murphy, Baildon Wood Court, Baildon, Shipley