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Liam O'Dell
May 06, 2023
King Charles's coronation: Anti-monarchy protesters arrested in London
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Anti-monarchy protesters opposed to the idea that an unelected head of state should be crowned King during the cost of living crisis are already being arrested by police – hours before King Charles III’s coronation.
Footage of the republican demonstrators - part of the 'Not My King protest - being spoken to by the Metropolitan Police in London's St Martin's Lane was shared online on Saturday and has already sparked fury from commentators and social media users.
It comes after new, controversial rules came into force on Tuesday, when the Public Order Act received royal assent and made the acts of ‘locking on’ and interfering with “key national infrastructure” illegal.
The Met has already faced strong criticism this week for its stance on protests against the royal family during the coronation, when it tweeted on Wednesday that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low”.
“We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration,” they wrote.
According to reports, the CEO of the campaign group Republic - Graham Smith - was amongst those arrested, and pictures show police officers confiscating yellow ‘Not My King’ placards.
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The move from police officers appears to go against comments made by the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan earlier this week, when he said officers would not intervene if someone is merely “holding a placard”.
Oops.
He told a press conference on Wednesday: “Protest is lawful. If at any point any protest, either during the coronation or afterwards, moves from being a protest that is lawful into criminal intent then you will see extremely swift action from us.
“[The new law] doesn’t apply for someone who’s holding a placard and the new laws do not deal with that at the present time. If it moves into serious disruption or into criminal matters, then we will deal with those.
“We are confident that you will get the appropriate response that has the right legal framework, which delivers the results that we want, and a great celebration for all of us.”
Twitter users, however, don’t really agree with the Met’s response to individuals peacefully exercising their right to protest against the coronation:
\u201cOutrageous scenes of cops arresting anti-monarchy protestors and stealing their placards\n\nSo we are not allowed to show public opposition to a bloke being crowned head of state for having been born into unimaginable wealth while ppl line up at food banks and schools fall apart\u201d— Shelly Asquith (@Shelly Asquith) 1683355250
\u201cRepublican protesters being arrested and their placards confiscated ahead of the coronation.\u201d— Adam Bienkov (@Adam Bienkov) 1683357023
\u201cUnbelievable!! Graham Smith head of Republic has been arrested for unloading placards by Trafalgar Square. He and 6 volunteers are in the police station. This is new anti-protest laws in action..\u201d— Polly Toynbee (@Polly Toynbee) 1683356798
\u201cThe police have arrested what appear to be peaceful republican protesters in Trafalgar Square. It\u2019s in everybody\u2019s interests, especially the Met\u2019s, that they explain exactly why as soon as possible. No matter what you think about monarchy, this is a deeply disturbing moment.\u201d— James O'Brien (@James O'Brien) 1683360202
\u201cPeaceful protest is an absolute necessity for society. If this was happening anywhere else people would be up in arms. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with the protesters, they have a right not to be arrested for just being there. #r4today\n\nhttps://t.co/z7K97siTuq\u201d— Daniel Sohege \ud83e\udde1 (@Daniel Sohege \ud83e\udde1) 1683358606
\u201cWe are deeply concerned to see peaceful protesters being arrested in London this morning. Protest is a foundation of #FreeExpression and must be respected\u201d— Index on Censorship (@Index on Censorship) 1683359821
\u201c@AdamBienkov Utterly chilling.\n\nThe MET police proving yet again that they'll take a mile for every inch this far right government will afford them.\n\nWe cannot accept this.\u201d— Adam Bienkov (@Adam Bienkov) 1683357023
\u201cArrested for taking some signs out of a van. \n\nI\u2019m more offended by some twat waving a flag so arrest them instead.\u201d— Rachael Swindon (@Rachael Swindon) 1683361379
\u201cPreemptive arrests of peaceful protesters ahead of a taxpayer-funded propaganda orgy.\n\nHappy and glorious, eh?\u201d— Kirsty Strickland (@Kirsty Strickland) 1683359646
\u201cI\u2019m sure the @SpeechUnion will be onto this any minute now\u201d— Liam Thorp (@Liam Thorp) 1683359596
\u201cWhatever your views on the monarchy, these pictures should chill you.\u201d— Peter Walker (@Peter Walker) 1683359112
\u201cPolice arrest peaceful anti-monarchy protesters & have erected giant barriers to osbcure pro-republic banners. Right to freely protest suppressed. Shame!\u201d— Peter Tatchell (@Peter Tatchell) 1683361339
Elsewhere, footage from the scene captured by the Alliance of European Republican Movements shows a member of the public challenging a police officer over the arrests, saying “in a democracy we shouldn’t be arresting people for peaceful protest”.
The officer replied: “I’m not going to get into a conversation about this, OK? They’re under arrest, end of.
“I’m not here to [have an] interview. Thank you.”
Since the videos were posted to social media, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed a "significant police operation is underway" in the centre of the capital.
\u201cA significant police operation is under way in central London.\n\nWe have made a number of arrests in the area of Carlton House Terrace.\n\nThe individuals have been held on suspicion of breaching the peace.\u201d— Metropolitan Police (@Metropolitan Police) 1683361454
"Earlier today we arrested four people in the area of St Martin's Lane. They were held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. We seized lock-on devices."
The force also said it made "a number of arrests" in Carlton House Terrace (where individuals were held on suspicion of "breaching the peace"), and Wellington Arch (where three people were arrested on suspicion of "possessing articles to cause criminal damage").
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