Police in London arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic just hours before the coronation of King Charles III began on Saturday. A number of other protesters who had gathered among the crowds lining the procession route in central London were also detained.
Six protesters wearing yellow "Not My King" t-shirts were detained at a protest in Trafalgar Square on Saturday morning.
They included Republic's CEO Graham Smith, the group said. A photo posted on Twitter showed Smith sitting on the ground surrounded by police officers.
Republic said the arrests were made while they were unloading placards near the Coronation procession route.
So much for the right to peaceful protest #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy pic.twitter.com/mA81kmnNtD
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) May 6, 2023
Police did not confirm Smith's arrest but said they had arrested four people on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and three people on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage in what they called a "significant police operation".
Human Rights Watch slammed the arrests as "incredibly alarming".
"This is something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London," the campaign group said, attacking the UK government for its "increasingly averse" stance on public demonstrations.
"Outrageous" expense
Some anti-monarchy protesters had held up signs saying "privatise them" and "abolish the monarchy, not the right to protest", and "Not My King".
"We believe we should be going to the ballot box to choose our head of state ... and exercising our lawful right to protest, which sadly right now in the UK is very much in question," said Dr Rebecca Steinfeld, one of the protestors.
"It feels outrageous that with the cost of living crisis and so many people suffering, we are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on this public event and all the pomp and pageantry," she told RFI's Amanda Morrow.
"It could be so much better spent on our fantastic public institutions like the National Health Service and not wasted on this."
Most of the anti-monarchy protesters on Saturday had congregated in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic.
Although they were in a minority compared with the tens of thousands gathered on London’s streets to support the king, polls suggest support for the monarchy is declining and is weakest among young people.
London police escort anti-monarchy protesters down Piccadilly #Coronation #NotMyKing pic.twitter.com/4dEvB2ckzL
— Amanda Morrow (@amandalmorrow) May 6, 2023
A poll by YouGov last month found 64 percent of people in Britain said they had little or no interest in the coronation. Among those aged 18 to 24, the number voicing little or no interest rose to 75 percent.
Since Charles became king last September, there have been protests at royal events. He was heckled at a Commonwealth Day event at Westminster Abbey in March and targeted with eggs in York in November.
The death of the queen has also reignited debate in other parts of the world, such as Australia and Jamaica, about the need to retain Charles as their head of state.
(with newswires)
