UK defends arrests during anti-monarchy protests at coronation

Follow the latest news from the coronation of King Charles here The British government on Sunday defended the policing of King Charles III’s coronation after some anti-monarchy protesters were arrested in London. The anti-royalist pressure group Republic said some of its members were held for more than 16 hours and had their phones confiscated. Activists from Republic gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square on the sidelines of King Charles’s procession route , with placards saying “Not My King” and calling for the monarchy’s abolition. Republic’s chief executive Graham Smith, who was one of those arrested, accused police of a “direct attack on our democracy”. “Many people will disagree with what we were protesting about, but that right to protest must be protected,” Mr Smith said. “Anyone may find themselves wanting to protest against a government policy.” Police were separately caught in a row over the arrest of volunteers handing out rape alarms to women. The Metropolitan Police claimed it had intelligence that the alarms could be used to disrupt the coronation. Climate activists from Just Stop Oil were also among 52 people arrested for various alleged offences on Saturday. The government’s Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said on Sunday that police got the “balance right”. “What they had to do was to police an international event on the world stage and I think they took that into account in their policing,” she said. Some opposition politicians expressed concern about the right to peaceful protest. “Our nation and our king [are] not so fragile as to not be able to take harmless protest of a different view,” said Labour MP Jess Phillips. Many royal fans came to celebrate the pomp and splendour of the coronation but the event has reignited discussion over the monarchy’s future. One salesman of royal memorabilia near Windsor Castle, David, told The National he had fewer customers than for events involving the late queen. "Business is rubbish,” he said. “It’s been unbelievably slow. I’m not selling enough. People are just not interested in King Charles. “I sold a lot for the platinum jubilee and a fair amount for Harry and Meghan’s wedding. But this has been by far the worst." Republic campaigns for King Charles to be replaced with an elected head of state, arguing the monarchy wastes money and is at odds with democratic principles. Polls suggest it has minority support across the UK but is more popular among younger generations. Surveys have shown majorities in favour of abolishing the monarchy in some of King Charles’s Commonwealth realms . The group said that Saturday’s arrests had “destroyed trust” and called into question meetings between activists and police liaison officers. Mr Smith said it “had the appearance of a pre-determined arrest that would have occurred regardless of the evidence or our actions”. Some activists had their belongings searched while police did not intervene in other cases. The Met Police said it acknowledged “public concern” about the day’s arrests. It said a key factor in what they acknowledged was a “low tolerance” for protest was that the coronation was a “once-in-a-generation event”. “We received information protesters were determined to disrupt the coronation procession,” said police commander Karen Findlay. “This included information that individuals would attempt to deface public monuments with paint, breach barriers and disrupt the official movements.” Many of those detained were held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Police said they had found “lock-on devices” during one set of arrests. In another case they said there was “concern from military colleagues” that rape alarms could be used to cause disruption by startling horses involved in the procession. The alarms were seized during the arrests of three people in central London, one of whom was also suspected of handling stolen goods, police said. “The intelligence we received led us to be extremely worried about the potential risk to public safety,” said deputy assistant police commissioner Ade Adelekan. Westminster City Council said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of night-time volunteers being arrested. It said the service was a “familiar and welcome sight” in London’s West End. “We are working with the Metropolitan Police to establish exactly what happened, and in the meantime, we are in touch with our volunteers to ensure they are receiving the support they need,” said council member Aicha Less.

UK defends arrests during anti-monarchy protests at coronation

Police say 52 were detained after officers set 'low tolerance' for disruption