Police arrested the group Republic and 51 others at the coronation of King Charles. (file)
London:
Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic and 51 other people at King Charles’s coronation on Saturday, saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed their right to protest.
Hundreds of yellow-clad protesters gathered among a 10-deep crowd that lined the route of the procession in central London, standing apart from those in red, white and blue, and holding placards saying “Not my king” Were.
Republic said its leader Graham Smith was taken into custody before the march began and photos circulated on social media showed police officers confiscating protesters’ placards.
“We fully understand the public’s concern following the arrests made this morning,” Commander Karen Findlay of the London Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
“There has been a significant police operation in the last 24 hours after we received information that protesters are determined to disrupt the coronation procession.”
The republic vowed to mount the biggest protest against a British monarch in modern history and protesters followed King Charles and Queen Camilla as they made their way to Westminster Abbey, and publicly relayed the service over large speakers I went.
“It’s disgusting and massively over the top,” said Kevin John, 57, a salesman from Devon.
“It’s also extremely counterproductive by the police because all it’s done is a huge amount of publicity for us. It’s utter madness.”
Police did not confirm Smith’s arrest. He said he took action because he believed protesters would try to deface public monuments with paint and disrupt “official movements”.
“All these people are in custody,” Findlay said.
Police said in a separate statement on Saturday that they had arrested three men based on intelligence that protesters were planning to throw a rape warning at the procession, which could frighten the horses involved and could pose a threat to public safety Could have done.
Police said several rape alarms were among the items seized during the arrest in the Soho district of London.
Protests also took place in Glasgow, Scotland, and Cardiff, Wales, with participants carrying signs that read: “Abolish the monarchy, feed the people.” On social media, many compared Britain’s crisis of living standards to pomp and fanfare.
Although the protesters were a minority compared to the thousands who gathered to support the king, polls show that support for the monarchy is waning and is weakest among young people.
With Queen Elizabeth passing the crown to her less popular son, republican activists expect Charles to be the last British monarch to be crowned.
Opposition Labor Party MLA Clive Lewis said, “It features a hereditary billionaire who was born into wealth and privilege, which is basically a symbol of the inequality of wealth and power in our society.”
strangely expensive
In London, protesters demanded an elected head of state, saying the royal family had no place in a modern constitutional democracy and was too expensive.
“Don’t you think this is all a bit silly,” said one placard.
Most of the anti-monarchy protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic.
There have been protests at royal events since Charles became king last September. He was harassed at a Commonwealth Day event at Westminster Abbey in March and targeted with eggs in York in November.
The Queen’s death has reignited debate in Australia, Jamaica and other parts of the Commonwealth over the need to retain Charles as their head of state.
The state government of New South Wales said it has decided not to light the sails of the Sydney Opera House to mark the coronation to save money. Events in other countries where Charles is head of state were also low key.
While many other European monarchies have come and gone, or greatly diminished in scale and importance, the British royal family has remained remarkably resilient.
In Britain, polls show a majority still want the royal family, but there is a long-term trend of declining support.
A YouGov poll last month found 64% of people in Britain said they had little or no interest in a coronation. This number increased to 75% among those aged 18 to 24.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)