Sir, - We congratulate The Irish Times on its fair and open-minded report on road protesters (January 17th). Those of us in England who fought long and hard against the M11 extension in London, the Newbury Bypass, etc., send our best wishes to our brothers and sisters up the trees and in the benders in Glen of the Downs.
It has now been virtually admitted that more motorways mean more traffic, more pollution and more out-of-town shopping malls and that people make longer and longer car journeys which they would not otherwise have made. The car isn't going to disappear but it must be controlled and public transport revitalised.
To those who find the protesters a nuisance and shrink from their appearance we say: sit down and talk to them. They know what they are doing and why. Who will you have to blame when your children are choking on poisoned air, the remaining trees are dying and the birds have gone? Think, think, think. And then perhaps you will come to praise the eco-warriors and provide them with the means to sustain them in their battle - your battle - against the brutal juggernaut that opposes them.
Hold on to your beliefs, boys and girls of '98. May you not have to encounter the abuse, broken limbs, theft of property and general brutality encountered on English campaigns.
If we can be given an address, we still have a small amount left in our funds which we would be happy to donate to the campaign. - Yours, etc.,
115 Woodlands Avenue, Wanstead, London €11.