Veil good, balaclava bad

A man has been arrested for donning a balaclava in protest against the veil. James Scott, from Ipswich, was out in town collecting signatures in support of Jack Straw's comments. He had already acquired 200 such signatures when police caught up with him. He was arrested on suspicion of causing a breach of the peace and taken in for questioning. About what, I wonder? The whole ordeal lasted three hours. What could they have had to ask him that took all that time?

Anyway, Mr Scott has been warned that he faces re-arrest if he puts the mask on again. Ridiculous. Is there now a law prescribing what one may not wear in a public place, and if so, why does it extend to the balaclava and not the veil? Is this the criminal law equivalent of what will soon be known as the 'British Airways exemption'?

Advice for Mr Scott: next time you feel inclined to make any public protests, put on the niqab.