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Liam O'Dell
May 07, 2023
Related video: The biggest mishaps of King Charles III's coronation
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While the coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey was praised by royalists for its pomp and pageantry, many aren’t impressed with the litter that’s been left behind hours later – scenes which have sparked comparisons to the rubbish you’d see after Glastonbury Festival.
The popular music event, which takes over Worthy Farm in Somerset, is often flooded with abandoned tents and bottles at the end of the June festival – despite organisers calling on all attendees who forked out hundreds of pounds for a ticket to “love the farm [and] leave no trace”.
Now, after some monarchists camped up along the Mall (that’s the famous red strip road leading up to Buckingham Palace) for the best view of the newly crowned royals, one video has laid bare the state some of them decided to leave the place in.
Chris Ship, ITV News’ royal editor, shared a short 13-second video to Twitter on Saturday night, showing plastic bags, bunting and even a tent scattered behind metal gates.
“A few short hours ago, there were crowds and carriages and crowns. Now The Mall resembles [an] abandoned campsite after a wet weekend at Glastonbury,” he wrote.
The scenes have since been branded “disgusting” and “absolutely appalling” by commenters:
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\u201c@chrisshipitv So it appears Royalists and people who go to Glastonbury have a least one thing in common then..\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv it is not hard for folks to clean up after themselves tbf, SELFISH REALLY and to expect someone else to clean it up, I remember carrying home someone "Night Of Joy" so the beautiful downs where we live wasn`t spoilt after there fun, leave it the way you found it so other enjoy it\u2026\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Why can\u2019t these people take their rubbish with them?\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Loyal Subjects who left a mess!\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Fans of the monarchy but not fans if cleaning up their own mess \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Absolutely appalling. C\u2019mon now, we are better than this.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Proper mess they\u2019ve left. Keep this for the next time people complain about kids at a Festival, football fans or whatever.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv I will never understand why people think it\u2019s ok to leave their mess for others to pick up.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv I\u2019m old enough to remember the press furore of the mess caused by Scotland celebrating a win over England and then coming back to tidy up! Maybe the royal worshippers could do likewise?\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201cIf you truly have pride in the nation you don\u2019t leave all your rubbish & waste behind\u201d— dominic dyer (@dominic dyer) 1683446726
Others compared the reaction to the rubbish to the media’s criticism of ‘mess’ left behind by campaign groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil:
\u201c@chrisshipitv If this were Glasto or Just Stop Oil...\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv Good job it\u2019s only \u201croyal super fans\u201d that have left this mess. Imagine if it was Just Stop Oil or anti monarchists they\u2019d be marched straight to the tower and @NickFerrariLBC would spend his entire show on Tuesday discussing it.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
\u201c@chrisshipitv I wonder if the press will be as outraged over this as they were over the mess extinction rebellion left behind.\nWilling to bet not.\nWhich is odd, because this is real and the XR mess didn't exist.\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1683401373
Of course, these groups also got the attention of some during Saturday’s event, when members of Just Stop Oil and the anti-monarchist group Republic were arrested before the coronation – and, indeed, their ‘Not My King’ protest - had even started.
In a statement, Republic said: “These arrests are a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country. Each and every police officer involved on the ground should hang their heads in shame.
“They showed no judgement, no common sense and no basic decency.
“The right to protest peacefully in the UK no longer exists.”
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