Before the coronation of King Charles III. (74) Arrests were made in London. Several protesters were arrested by police in Trafalgar Square. Among them is the head of the anti-monarchist campaign group “Republic”, Graham Smith. This is reported, among other things, by Sky News.
The protesters wore “Not My King” t-shirts and were in the process of unloading placards near Trafalgar Square. The anti-monarchy group commented on the incident on Twitter with the words: “So much for the right to peaceful protest.” The officials also did not want to reveal the reasons for the arrest.
The demonstrators were taken away in handcuffs. According to Scotland Yard, seven people have been arrested so far. Four were arrested on “suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance”. They are said to have tried to overcome the barriers. On Wednesday (3 May), the Metropolitan Police said they would have an “extremely low threshold” for protests during the coronation celebrations. Demonstrators should expect “quick action”.
The group “Republic” criticizes that hundreds of their posters have been confiscated and asks: “Is that democracy?” The protesters also explain: “Some ask why we are protesting. Because we want to use the coronation to change the debate about the monarchy and to show that we are not a nation of royalists.”
As British media reports, the number of people taking part in the anti-monarchy protests in central London is growing on Saturday morning. The crowd kept chanting “Not my King” and “Free Graham Smith.” A number of Just Stop Oil protesters were also arrested on the Mall.
