According to police, the republican protesters planned to “cause a public nuisance.”
A number of anti-monarchy protesters were detained by police, and they seized protest signs before Saturday’s coronation of King Charles III. The demonstrators said they want the right to select their own head of state.
On Saturday morning, the Metropolitan Police of London reported that “a significant police operation” was in progress in the city. Soon later, the police department reported that it had detained four individuals “on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance” and three further individuals “on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage.” The first group was discovered to be in possession of “lock-on devices,” according to authorities.
Under contentious protest rules passed last year, “public nuisance” was made a crime; last week, a second public order bill that was supported by climate activists made “locking on” a crime as well.
The anti-monarchy organization Republic claimed that hundreds of the group’s placards were confiscated by police, along with its leader and five other important organizers. A video of Graham Smith, the head of the Republic, being jailed was uploaded to social media by the Alliance of European Republican Movements, an organization that opposes monarchs in the entire continent.
Other images and videos depict police removing banners from protesters and collecting bundles of placards that read “Not My King” at Trafalgar Square, where hundreds of people had assembled to oppose the coronation of Britain’s next monarch. The people in Trafalgar Square chanted “down with the crown” and “get a real job” as Charles III was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
“We favor elections over coronations. We want a choice rather than Charles. Before the ceremony started, Republic tweeted, “It’s that simple.
The protest was held in a symbolic location—Trafalgar Square. The square is home to a statue of King Charles I, who was killed in 1649 following the English Civil War, in addition to being situated along the route of the coronation procession. After his passing, England temporarily became a republic before Charles II, his son, was crowned king in 1660, restoring the monarchy.
Police detained “about 20” members of the “Just Stop Oil” organization who were participating in climate protests in other parts of London, according to the organisation. A Just Stop Oil representative called the police action “a dystopian nightmare,” asserting that the protestors had no intention of obstructing the coronation and merely intended to unveil t-shirts bearing the group’s name.
