As soon as the Government acknowledged that the recruitment of terrorists on our soil was achieved by someone speaking to them, persuading them to adopt their point of view, it acknowledged that there can be no "freedom of speech" in the midst of a war on terrorism. Such freedom cannot be allowed by degrees, it is either there or not. In the UK today, it is not. Dom Brucciani, Leicester

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers." Does the treatment of Walter Wolfgang indicate that the Labour Party and its conference stewards care not a jot for the convention at their convention? Bill Peter, Carhampton

Free speech is alive and well, as long as you agree with Tony Blair and, by extension, George Bush. The attitude seems to be that no one else, apart from the "yes, Tony" brigade, are worth listening to. Hopefully, Mr Wolfgang's treatment might wake up Mr Blair from his "Emperor's new clothes" reverie. Steve Tymms, Welwyn Garden City

Notwithstanding the Prime Minister's apology, Mr Wolfgang's rather unceremonious exit from the Labour Party Conference is not only devastating for the Party's image but also a destruction of British democratic norms. If such incidents continue, one is afraid that soon the lofty ideals of liberty and equality will be reduced to nothing but high-sounding nonsense. If a political outfit cannot tolerate opposing views, it's not even worthy to govern the nation. The wider net of the Terrorist Act should not be exploited to criminalise individuals like Mr Wolfgang, who have spent their lives fighting for peace and a better world. Ahson Saeed Hasan, Rockville, USA

Tony Blair is reported elsewhere as saying that an elderly man should not have been treated like that. Does this mean that he believes it would have been appropriate for a youthful heckler, disagreeing with the party line, to be treated in this manner? The use of the Terrorism Act in such a situation would be laughable if it were not an indication of how the Government will use it to further their own agenda. Chris Lawrence, Huntingdon

I don't think that those stewards were acting on their own; they would have had instructions on what to do with anyone who dared to dissent. As soon as you use force to silence those who disagree with you, you are no longer democratic. If the Tories don't elect a leader who can win and has some respect for freedom (Clarke), God help us all. David England, Shrewsbury

Free speech? Where? If we are fighting to give a voice back to the Iraqi people shouldn't we know how to use it ourselves first? Nicholas Summers, Madrid, Spain

Those listening to the Jeremy Vine show on the radio today will have heard scary stories that indicate we have already edged into a police state. For those in the Labour party of course, this will not be anything new. Dissention has not been allowed in the Labour party for some years. Clive Tutton, Cambridge

Mr Harvey of Sevenoaks (below), don't you think that Labour should learn some manners, too? For example, not to lie? Name and address withheld

No, Labour it is not just Labour criminalising free speech. It is being killed off by political correctness. Bernard Parke, Guildford

Incredible. A man who fled one of the most horrific regimes ever known is treated like a criminal for daring to criticise another regime, and radical Muslim clerics can condone murder and demand that jihad be waged on the streets of Britain with no fear of censure. Name and address withheld

The images of a frail 82-year-old being evicted for the "crime" of free speech are both abhorrent and shocking. The thug pulling him from his seat should really feel proud of himself. However, while he and others physically attacked an elderly member of the Labour Party, in effect they were only proxies for Blair and his other party bully, John Reid. Damage done, apologies made, but people have seen real Labour in full technicolour. Bill Gordon, Belfast

I agree that the methods of ejecting an elderly gentleman were grossly disproportionate and that the willy-nilly use of the Terrorism Act seems already to have proved correct the worst fears of its opponents. However, I don't agree that he shouldn't have been ejected at all. People in the hall may have wished to listen to Mr Straw's speech undisturbed. The same is true of any public address. It is extremely rude to "heckle" and talk over people, and Mr Wolfgang should learn some manners should he wish to attend another conference. His age is not an excuse for impoliteness, rather he should be old enough to know better. Al Harvey, Sevenoaks, Kent