AN Australian royal superfan who was detained for 13 hours after she stood near a group of protesters at the coronation has accused the Met Police of “finger-pointing” after she made a complaint about her arrest.
Alice Chambers, 36, was handcuffed on The Mall in central London after she stood close to a group of Just Stop Oil demonstrators.
She told the i Paper she had no idea she was standing next to them as they had not started protesting before she was told she was being arrested on suspicion of “potential to cause a breach the peace” at around 9am.
Even after officers acknowledged their mistake, it was still another two-and-a-half hours before she was allowed to leave Wandsworth Police Station at 10pm.
Chambers, who has attended a number of royal events over the years, said she was repeatedly questioned, subjected to physical searches, held in a cell, and had her DNA, fingerprints and mugshot taken before police released her.
‘No one should endure an extended period under arrest just because they’re an innocent bystander’ Alice Chambers, who was detained for 13 hours after she stood near a group of protestors at the coronation, shares her story with @vicderbyshire#Newsnight https://t.co/P0zxS1DNGF pic.twitter.com/oppbZjvX0Z
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) May 11, 2023
She appeared on BBC’s Newsnight on Thursday where she expressed frustration at the way the complaint was being handled by the Met.
The officer who arrested her was from Lincolnshire Police and her complaint has been passed to that force, but Chambers said she was detained by the Met and claimed it was “finger-pointing”.
She told the programme: “I think it’s quite frustrating that the day after this happened I raised a complaint and that’s taken them a long time to get to this point.
“It feels like, yes, there were a lot of police from outside of London in London on that day, but it wasn’t necessarily just the Lincolnshire Police that this complaint is with.
“The Met ultimately took over from them and I was detained by the Met as well. I feel there is finger-pointing at each other so they’re not really dealing with my complaint at all.
She added: “This should never happen and clearly there’s processes that either need to be put in place or that weren’t followed because no one should endure an extended period under arrest just because they’re an innocent bystander.”
Chambers was one of several victims of the new powers police were handed under the Public Order Bill that is now in force in England and Wales.
The new law will include a 12-month prison sentence for protesters who block roads, a six-month jail term or unlimited fine for anyone who locks on to others, a building, or an object, and police are permitted to stop protesters they suspect are out to cause “disruption”.
The Met has also expressed “regret” over the arrest of six Republic campaigners who have also been told they will face no further action.
Graham Smith, Chief executive of the anti-monarchy group, is considering taking legal action.
Rishi Sunak has defended action by the police saying it is right for officers to have the ability to tackle “serious disruption”.
Describing her experience, Chambers said: “It’s just been so shocking and very emotional because it’s not something you ever expect, to find yourself in jail for an extended period of time.
“I think about all the things I could have done that day, all the parties I could have gone to, but instead I chose to attend the coronation and I got to see none of it.”
