REPUBLICAN activists took to the streets of London to protest the coronation of King Charles – and were met with jeers from disgruntled monarchists.
Protesters organised by the anti-monarchy group Republic marched west from Trafalgar Square on Saturday morning after the organisation’s leader Graham Smith was arrested in what human rights campaigners described as an “incredibly alarming” overreach by police.
Anti-monarchists were met with shouts of “evil sods”, “losers” and hissing from royalists as they were led away from the coronation procession route.
Republic had originally told supporters to assemble at the statue of Charles I on the southern side of the square – but were boxed in by crowd control screens. Those who came later gathered at the northern side and were herded by police officers as they marched.
Royalists react as anti-monarchists take to streets of London to protest the coronation pic.twitter.com/WvInv6Q3Rt
— Hamish Morrison (@HMorrison97) May 6, 2023
One royalist who spoke with this paper said: “I’d say if you’re miserable, just stay at home.”
A woman who shouted “losers” at the republican march defended doing so by saying: “I just like yelling back at them. Seriously, I don’t care.”
Another man who accused the protesters of being “evil sods” said he had been “really, really badly annoyed” by them.
He said: “Of all days, did they really have to do it today? I mean, c’mon. They’ve got 365 days of the year, this is the one day where we’d have liked to have not that kind of rubbish on the streets.
“Really, really badly annoyed by them. Everyone’s got the right to do, obviously… but there’s a time and place for these things, yeah? They shouldn’t have done it today, in my humble opinion.”
Meanwhile, a woman who had travelled to London from Inverness holding a banner commemorating Princess Diana told The National she was protesting the event because she felt the lat ex-wife of King Charles was being written out of history.
