ANDREW Marr has said it is "outrageous" that people are being arrested while protesting the proclamation of King Charles III and has claimed it is "not what the new King would have wanted".
The former BBC journalist said on Good Morning Britain that "we are an open, disputatious country" as he blasted the actions of police which he felt would have "alarmed" the new monarch.
Meanwhile, Brexiteer peer and Vote Leave founder Daniel Hannan said he feared police were "becoming more authoritarian" and branded them "un-British".
Charles was officially proclaimed King on Saturday at the Accession Council in the state apartments of St James’s Palace.
After a second proclamation at St James's later that morning, announcements were made in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales on Sunday.
In Edinburgh, the proclamation was made at the Castle Drawbridge at around noon and some of the crowd met the announcement with booing.
Minutes before it began, a female protester appeared at the Mercat Cross and held a sign which said: “F*** imperialism, abolish the monarchy.”
Police Scotland later confirmed that the female protester had been arrested.
A second arrest was made involving a 74-year-old man near Holyroodhouse at around 3.50pm, also in connection with an alleged breach of the peace.
A woman who held an “abolish monarchy” sign at a proclamation ceremony for King Charles III in Edinburgh **has now been charged with a criminal offence**pic.twitter.com/YOyozZqWEL
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) September 12, 2022
Marr told ITV: "Right at the beginning of the reign, we have seen protesters holding up cards saying they don't want a new King and they don't want a new monarchy and a few people booing, and they have been arrested up and down the country.
"I think that is outrageous. We are a democratic country. We are an open, disputatious country where we can say what's on our minds and I don't believe for a moment that this is what the new King would have wanted.
"In fact, I would bet a lot of money that the new King is equally alarmed and upset by the fact protesters are being arrested."
Hannan, who played a prominent role in the Brexit referendum, said he was worried about the way the police were behaving.
He tweeted: “Detaining people for shouting republican slogans, even if they do so in a deliberately coarse and provocative way, is utterly un-British.
Detaining people for shouting republican slogans, even if they do so in a deliberately coarse and provocative way, is utterly un-British. I worry that our police are becoming more authoritarian and - worse - that a section of the public is cheering them on.
— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) September 12, 2022
“I worry that our police are becoming more authoritarian and - worse - that a section of the public is cheering them on.”
Police have now confirmed a 22-year-old woman has been charged and is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
The 74-year-old man has also been charged and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, September 12.
Ahead of the Scottish ceremony, anti-royal group Our Republic, wrote on Twitter: "The proclamation of Charles Mountbatten-Windsor as King will take place in Edinburgh tomorrow.
"It'll be declared at Mercat Cross and Edinburgh Castle Drawbridge at noon.
"We encourage those with objections to these proclamations to make those clear."
Republicans have vowed to intensify their campaign against the monarchy in the run-up to the coronation of Charles III and on the day itself.
Protest group Republic has temporarily suspended activities as a mark of respect following the Queen’s death but has pledged that the campaign will continue.
