Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Sophie McCoid

King Charles Coronation sees protestors 'arrested'

Protesters appear to have been arrested ahead of the King's coronation.

Footage on Twitter seemed to show Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, being apprehended by police in St Martin's Lane, near Trafalgar Square, on Saturday morning.

Pictures appeared to show demonstrators in yellow "Not My King" T-shirts, including Mr Smith, having their details taken by officers.
In one video, an officer says: "I'm not going to get into a conversation about that - they are under arrest, end of."

READ MORE: Live updates of King Charles Coronation, times, route and guests

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police announced they would have an "extremely low threshold" for protests during the coronation celebrations, and that demonstrators could expect "swift action".

After the apparent arrests, Republic activist Luke Whiting, 26, told the PA news agency: "Six Republic members have been arrested including the CEO as the demonstration was starting at the edge of Trafalgar Square.

"It is unclear why, potentially it is because one of them was carrying a megaphone. It is unclear exactly whether the police are using these new powers and whether they are misusing them to stop protest happening."

One woman in a Republic T-shirt who was arrested told PA: "We had a delivery of placards ready for the protest and then the tactical support unit questioned us as to how we had got through the road closures."

Officers carried her away from where she had been standing outside a Tesco store. Two men who appeared to have been part of the same demonstration were carried away by officers into a marked police van.

The policing operation is set to see 11,500 police officers on duty on Saturday.

READ NEXT:

Live updates of King Charles Coronation, times, route and guests

King Charles Coronation procession route, guestlist and timeline

Last minute change to King Charles Coronation announced

King Charles Coronation order of service with Prince Harry absent

Win a royally great bundle worth £290 - including luxury overnight stay and family passes

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.