THE right to protest is an important one in any democratic society, but it must always be balanced against the need to observe the laws of the land.
There can only be growing concern over the circumstances surrounding a number of recent gatherings on both sides of the Irish border by individuals opposed to coronavirus restrictions.
Alarming clashes have taken place in Dublin, with injuries following as Garda officers struggled to keep rival groups apart on several occasions.
The latest upheaval involved an estimated 300 people in the grounds of the Stormont estate in east Belfast on Sunday when prolonged disturbances took place not far from Parliament Buildings.
Official regulations specify that a maximum of 15 people can take part in such outdoor events, and they must observe proper social distancing at all times.
A senior PSNI officer said that assurances in both regards were provided in the days beforehand, but, as the crowds assembled, it quickly became clear that the guidelines were going to be widely ignored.
Although police issued warnings via a loudspeaker, videos circulating on social media indicated that many of the protestors were determined to stage confrontations with uniformed officers.
Arrests followed, and fixed penalty notices were also handed out, with police indicating that subsequent inquiries would take place to establish if other offences had been committed.
It will be recalled that fines were imposed on a range of individuals who attended a Black Lives Matter rally in Belfast city centre last June, even though participants made considerable efforts to observe social distancing and the atmosphere throughout was peaceful.
One campaigner who spoke in Custom House Square was later interviewed by police under Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 - legislation usually applied to organised crime.
There are strong grounds for suggesting that severe penalties which were imposed on supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement in Belfast were dubious and deserve to be withdrawn.
However, all the evidence is that serious offences did indeed take place at Stormont on Sunday and the authorities should ensure that justice is seen to be done in respect of both sets of circumstances.
