Protester Terry Maher stood on the roof of St Pancras Station waving a flag, and is said to have "caused" the cancellation of various trains.

Given the facts, is that claim valid? It may be true that officials cancelled the trains as a reaction to the protest, but was that necessary, or was it an overreaction? He could hardly harm anyone or anything in the station from up on the roof, not even with a flag or a knife. And he never showed an inclination to try.

If the officials overreacted, they are the ones to blame for the resulting gratuitous inconvenience. The court must not hold a protester responsible for excessive response. A policy of punishing people for the worst case fantasies they inspire is unjust and threatens all protesters.