I WILL defend the right to freedom of speech until I breathe my last, but I have to confess I find the freefor- all of the internet and its complete lack of regulation quite disconcerting.

And I’m sure Robin Van Persie must be feeling the same. Twenty-four hours after confirming his world class status with his hattrick in Arsenal’s 5-3 whalloping of Chelsea, the Dutch master was in the position of having to defend himself over claims that he had made a “Nazi”

salute to the crowd.

The source of the claim?

An internet posting that kicked off a thread of unsavoury speculation.

I’m no fan of Twitter – I have never tweeted and never will – but on this occasion it appears to have had a role to play, with Van Persie using that particular social networking site to express his outrage. Describing the claims as “ludicrous”, he could not understand how his celebration had been misconstrued, adding: “To suggest this meant anything to the contrary is insulting and absolutely absurd as nothing else came into my mind.”

I felt for the lad.