CLIVE SMITH: Alfie Evans should have been allowed to die in peace

Alfie died in the early hours of last Saturday, five days after his life support was turned off and after a last-ditch legal bid by his parents was rejected.

The protest at the hospital took an unsavoury turn however as a large mob formed outside. The police even had to form barricades as the crowd tried to storm the building.

What were these protesters planning to do? Attack the doctors and nurses, throw on scrubs and carry out some miracle life-saving operation, forcibly remove the poor lad to a waiting van and whisk him off to Italy?

Disgusting behaviour. Most of them were just grief tourists jumping on the nearest bandwagon.

They thought they’d have a jolly good time outside a hospital with terminally ill children. They even took along a bouncy castle, music and beers.

What a time they had – not a thought for other families going through the same situation themselves.

The so-called ‘Alfie’s Army’ blocked roads, stopped ambulances, doctors and visiting families from going about lives.

Let’s just hope they don’t ever have to call on the hospital’s services themselves one day.

I wrote a column last year about the Charlie Gard case saying the parents should ultimately be allowed to do what they think is best for their child, so I have every sympathy for the parents.

It’s a terrible situation to be in. But at least the Gards asked for any protests to not disturb the hospital.

Wouldn’t you want your child to spend his last days peacefully rather than surrounded by all the noise of some delinquent circus?

Those idiots should have been forcibly removed. A water cannon would have done it.

SIMPSONS HAS MORE PROBLEMS THAN WORRYING ABOUT STEREOTYPING

Hank Azaria, the man paid £300,000 an episode to voice The Simpsons character Apu, is considering stepping aside from the character because of controversy surrounding the stereotyping of Indian people in the show.

Come on mate, you’re voicing a cartoon character, not doing Shakespeare.

The whole show is based around stereotyping people: a fat, incompetent, doughnut-eating policeman; a fat, balding, middle-aged dad; a corrupt councillor; an angry Scotsman; an over-achieving daughter; an under-achieving son; a simple redneck. Literally everyone.

The show has been going on for three decades now, so why the sudden problem?

The show’s got more problems than worrying about offending people. It’s no longer particularly funny, has run its course and it should have been canned years ago.

DRIVERS ARE EASY TARGETS

A man has just been jailed for eight months after being caught using a speed camera jammer.

Eight months, when you see sex offenders getting community orders.

However, unless you drive like Nigel Mansell, what’s the point of these contraptions?

I’m not saying I don’t speed, everyone does.

I’ve had the pleasure of forking out £90 to spend the best part of half a day on a speed awareness course, but to need one of these jammers you probably drive like an idiot all the time.

When you’ve got all manner of other crimes going unpunished dishing out a jail sentence for something like this is ridiculous.

Motorists are easy targets. I guess you can’t make money out of crimes against people though.