There was no anti-Semitism at the ANU pro-Palestine rally

There were no taunts or antisemitism. I know that for a fact because I was present and observing from the beginning to the end of the rally that launched the protest encampment.

It is more than disappointing that you chose to use a headline that smears a movement of principled, humanitarian and altruistic young people who have the energy and conscience to stand and say "no, no more, not in our name, we do not support the barbaric destruction of Gaza and its people by an out-of-control Israel, or the continuing dispossession and oppression of the Palestinians".

On May Day, of all days, we should remember that there will never be peace and harmony within or between societies, without justice.

It's time that we prioritised it in both domestic and foreign policy and renounced support for inhumane and mindboggling violence of the sort unleashed upon the predominantly civilian population of Gaza and the ongoing oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank.

The photo of the bruised and battered face of a Perth grandmother, allegedly bashed by a freed immigration detainee, is horrifying.

The fact is the Albanese government has failed in its fundamental duty to protect its citizens.

Following the High Court decision to release one detainee, it was debatable whether 150 other detainees required immediate release.

Some were convicted rapists and murderers. Apparently many are still without any meaningful surveillance or restraint.

Not a a single preventative application has reportedly been made.

I believe the relevant minister, Andrew Giles, is a former refugee lawyer.

Not only do we need protection from the hardened criminals among us, we need protection from this inept and incompetent government.

An elderly woman is seriously assaulted by a "asylum" seeker who was released from detention. Surely this teaches us something.

Anyone who comes here and commits a crime does not espouse the values of the host country. They should be deported back to where they come from whether they want to go or not.

Hungary has a very enlightened system. You cannot just turn up and claim asylum or you will be deported.

You cannot enter the country unless you are stringently vetted and approved. They don't seem to have any issues.

As thousands joined the "No More Violence Against Women" rallies across Australia, a new conservative party was seeking to enter the ACT political landscape ("Lyle Shelton's Family First Party plans election tilt", April 27).

Mr Shelton, a former Australian Christian Lobby director, a past ultra-conservative political aspirant interstate, and companion networker in the nefarious anti-progressive ambit of ADVANCE with its links to former right-faction Assembly and ACT federal Liberal politicians, is now waving an ACT party application form at the AEC.

Following what a religion-backed "Family Team" party sought to do last century in the pre-self-government ACT House of Assembly, Mr Shelton's "family" focus appears to be a front for proselytising and seeking greater power and control over all stages of others' lives, especially women's decision-making.

As national party director, Mr Shelton guides its "family policy that promotes heterosexual marriage" and priorities designed to protect "family, faith, life and freedom", especially from troubling "woke activists".

While the party's positions on women and families fail to mention family, domestic and sexual violence, all of which disproportionately impact women, its website readily promotes inaccurate claims about abortion and "radical gender clinics".

Such a party is likely to rely on delivering more unbalanced and misleading information to a range of ACT communities and vulnerable individuals.

To garner a few more much-needed preference votes in October, will Liberal candidates remain silent and turn a blind eye to any rendition of divisive US Christian style campaigning, and policy promises that seek to dominate others and wind back choice ?

Justice Mossop would benefit from a course in how to humanise his decision making. His wording was blunt and completely lacking in any compassion.

This "murder remains murder" case was the perfect example of where we are failing to meet the needs of the old and sick who have had enough. Did he really expect softer wording would encourage a rash of pillow smothering? If anybody needs chastising it is our social services who need to be better equipped to make life easier for such couples.

In his last months Mr Morley needs our sympathy and understanding, not a criminal conviction and a jail sentence. I urge the ABC and other media to stop using photos of the home which will probably be on the market in a short time.

Is insensitivity catching?

For The Canberra Times to decide that the reporting of a lost Raiders game ("Shark Attack") was more important to place on the front page (April 29) than the report of the weekend's rally for No More Violence against Women (which was relegated to page four) speaks volumes of your lack of understanding of the current public outrage to your readers.

And to think that the placement of a court report concerning a "very violent man" (page 3) should precede what has become a national disgrace is insulting.

Women across Australia are rightly angry and frustrated that not enough has been achieved after years of too much talk and not enough action. Please re-think your journalistic priorities.

After a ghastly murder, facilitated by an unconscionable bail decision, too many commentators, including our platitudinous Prime Minister, are wallowing in the mass misogyny shibboleth.

Given that most murderers are male, and most victims are male, are we to further conclude that men have a greater problem with their own sex than they do with women?

Spurious general principles, born of heightened emotion, are nobody's friend. The vast majority of Australian men don't murder.

Peter James (Letters, May 1) needs to understand that I, and most other people who ride on shared paths, always ring a bell or call out when passing.

Some don't and they need educating. However, many times the person walking has earphones in and does not hear.

Perhaps we should ban the use of earphones on shared paths as a safety measure.

When walking dogs on shared paths please keep left (as advised by the signs), hold the leads in your left hand and do not let the dog stray into the right side of the path.

If I had made anyone cry in a public place, I would be apologising publicly in the knowledge that I had not intended to have that effect. For the first time in my life I agree with Peter Dutton. The Prime Minister has exhibited a prime example of male entitlement in a gathering intended to expose just such behaviour. I agree also with those who have been telling The Echidna newsletter how rude they find Australians compared with other cultures, particularly the Japanese. The Prime Minister is a prime example.

Robert Cussel's views on the Israel-Palestine conflict are simplistic and lack objectivity (Letters, April 23).

He is right to say "you cannot make peace with an enemy bent on your destruction", but it's disingenuous of him to say "Israel's attempts to make peace with the Palestinians have not been reciprocated".

Palestinians per se don't want to destroy Israel, they want the 57-year military occupation to end. The terms of Israel's "peace offers" fell well short of the bare minimum required for the Palestinians to have their own independent, sovereign nation, and would've condemned them to perpetual subjugation. In recent years, every pathway for Palestinians to legally achieve statehood through the United Nations has been blocked by the US, and after hundreds of peaceful, unarmed protesters were massacred by the IDF in May 2018, Palestinians would've rightly felt trapped with little recourse.

The ACT government has come clean about proposing wall-to-wall concrete along Adelaide Avenue all the way to Woden. Bye-bye Barr, goodbye Rattenbury, and good riddance [come the election].

I was shocked to read (Letters, April 30) "that some level of domestic violence is unavoidable, perhaps even beneficial if it provides a pressure value in certain family situations". Please explain that to a victim of domestic violence. No violence in any context is justifiable.

Jacob Vadakkedathu has been preselected as top Senate candidate for the Liberals by apparently stacking the party with his supporters; just as Zed did when he ousted Gary Humphries. ("Canberra Liberals preselect Senate candidates", April 30).

It remains to be seen how the critics will view former PM Scott Morrison's new book. But with a title: Plans for your Good. A Prime Minister's Testimony of God's Faithfulness, many will not get past the cover page.

How we got here Roderick Holesgrove (Letters, April 30), is that despite most countries, including Australia, recognising the Jewish right of self-determination in the Jewish homeland, Israel, others, including Hamas, don't recognise that right and continue to attack the Jewish state in the hope of destroying it.

A very thoughtful letter on the sensitive subject of children and involvement with ANZAC day (Letters, April 30). I favour continuing education on the history of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Malayan Emergency and Vietnam. The day should not be commercialised.

The pro-Palestinian protesters are the latter day version of the Soviet-era "useful (and deluded) idiots". By supporting Hamas, designated by Australia as a terrorist organisation, these protesters are endorsing its barbaric atrocities.

We've had governors-general who have turned a blind eye to reports of war crimes, rubber-stamped the secret whims of the PM and sacked an elected government. But the right are frothing at the mouth about a nominee who hasn't done anything yet. Culture wars anyone?

Bill Deane (Letters, May 1) says I should think harder over the appointment of the governor-general. Perhaps he was thinking of Scott Morrison who, on nominating David Hurley for the job, declared, "I didn't have to think at all".

In 1944 a horse named Sirius (sired by North Star) won the Melbourne Cup. Do we do anything about that?