A minister defended the controversial arrests of peaceful protesters at King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, claiming that the police were right to act as “we were on the global stage” (Anti-coronation protest leader hits out at police over arrests, 7 May). Surely on the global stage we want to be seen as a democracy that defends the right to free speech and protest, not an authoritarian state where you are only free to express support for the powers that be.
Although I am neutral about the principle of a monarchy, I felt the need to join the protest by Republic because I was so upset by the way the coronation was being promoted as something that we all supported. It seemed to me that longstanding democratic freedoms were jettisoned so that confected images of a successful non-contentious event could be projected.
Caroline Hearst
Reading, Berkshire
• As a retired judge I am sickened and appalled by the actions of the Metropolitan police in arresting the protesters. A few years ago, Anna Soubry, an MP on her way to parliament, was accosted in what was clearly a public order offence (Report, 7 January 2019). What did the Met do then? Nothing. Now, however, the Met apparently believes that peaceful protests are a threat to democracy.
It seems that the Met has apologised to the protesters (Report, 8 May). For what? If the officers were correct in arresting the protesters, there is nothing to apologise for. We should remember that repressive rightwing governments cannot act alone. They need willing agents to do the dirty work for them. I think they have now found one such agent. The new commissioner clearly has a great deal of work to do.
Dr Stephen Pacey
Retired upper tribunal judge
• All democrats should be concerned about the arrests of protesters at the coronation. It does not matter whether you believe the monarchy to be an essential feature of the constitution and traditions of the country or a redundant relic of feudalism. A healthy society would be able to cope with vigorous expressions of difference.
It seems that we are heading towards George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, where nonconformist thinking is a crime, or the world of the film Minority Report, where you can be found guilty before you have done anything. The police actions in London on Saturday would not have been out of place in Moscow or Beijing. It needs to be said clearly: without dissent there is no democracy.
David Howard
Church Stretton, Shropshire
• Lisa Nandy is wrong about the arrests of Republic members on Saturday (Labour says ‘something has gone wrong’ over arrest of coronation protesters, 9 May). The initial arrests, the holding of Republic’s leader, Graham Smith, for 16 hours, the eventual releases and then the belated apology were all carefully choreographed. Nothing went “wrong”, it all worked perfectly.
Peter Nicklin
Newcastle upon Tyne
• When I joined the Met 46 years ago, the first thing I learned to recite by heart were Robert Peel’s wise words: “By the use of tact and good humour the public can normally be induced to comply with directions and thus the necessity for using force … is avoided.” Looks like that has been taken out of the curriculum.
Hilary Power
Bristol
• If the republicans demonstrating at the coronation want to change things, they should do it in a democratic way and stand for parliament. Oh, I forgot – republicans are not allowed to take their seats in the Commons without swearing an oath of allegiance to the king, his heirs and successors. Back to the streets then.
Leo Thomas
Manchester
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