While Charles III. (74) and his wife Camilla (75) were crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 6th, the security forces had their hands full to ensure that the major event went smoothly. The “Daily Mail” reports 64 arrests, citing the Metropolitan Police.
The London police had already announced strict action and a low tolerance threshold in advance. Even before the royal couple had made their way to the church in their carriage, the first demonstrators from the anti-monarchy group “Republic” and the organization “Just Stop Oil” had been taken away from central London. The balance is now: 14 people were arrested for breach of the peace, 32 for conspiring to cause a public nuisance. There were also arrests on suspicion of sexual assault, physical harm and possession of weapons.
Caroline Russell, Chair of the London Police and Crime Committee, called some incidents “really worrying”. Two women and one man are said to have thrown rape alarms into the procession to make the horses shy away. In one incident, an animal was so frightened that it almost fell backwards into the crowd.
Most of those arrested were released on bail. Only four have been charged with criminal offenses so far, as Scotland Yard has announced. Meanwhile, the police have been criticized for their harsh crackdown on demonstrators. The anti-monarchy group “Republic” in particular is publicly defending itself against the arrests of its members. These are completely unjustified.
