Republican protesters carrying ‘Not My King’ placards arrested, hours before Coronation
After seizing lock-on devices from Republican protesters just hours before the coronation, police have arrested them.
Graham Smith, the chief executive officer of the anti-monarchy group Republic, was among those apprehended in St Martin’s Lane near Trafalgar Square, as evidenced by video posted on Twitter.
Photographs depicted protesters, including Mr. Smith, wearing yellow “Not My King” T-shirts and having their information recorded.
In one video, an officer can be heard saying, “I’m not going to engage in a discussion about that, they’re under arrest, period.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that four individuals were arrested on St. Martin’s Lane on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance and that lock-on devices were seized.
A number of arrests for disturbing the peace were made in the vicinity of Carlton House Terrace, and three arrests were made in the vicinity of Wellington Arch on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage.
According to Just Stop Oil, approximately thirteen demonstrators were arrested on the Mall prior to the coronation.
A spokesperson for the campaign organization stated that five demonstrators were apprehended on Downing Street and one on Piccadilly.
The footage from the Mall showed demonstrators from Just Stop Oil being handcuffed and led away by a large police presence.
Human Rights Watch characterized the arrests as “extremely alarming,” adding, “This is something you would expect in Moscow, not London.”
Ben Larsen, 25, of Just Stop Oil said he was there to witness the coronation and protest peacefully.
He grinned at the police officers and told them, “You’ve searched me and found nothing.”
A police officer advised him, “You need to educate yourself on what peaceful protest is.”
The Metropolitan Police stated on Wednesday that they would have a “extremely low threshold” for demonstrations during the coronation festivities and that demonstrators could expect “rapid action.”
Under the controversial new Public Order Act, protesters who possess an object with the intent to “lock on” are subject to a fine, while those who block roads face a one-year prison sentence.
Critics have previously criticized the Metropolitan Police Department’s intentions to use facial recognition software to assist with crowd control.
Republic received an official letter informing it of the new powers, which stated that its campaign surrounding the coronation would continue as intended.
A woman wearing a Republic T-shirt was detained by officers shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday during an interview with the PA news agency.
Before being arrested, she stated, “We received a delivery of placards for the demonstration, and then the tactical support unit questioned us about how we had gotten through the road closures.
“They questioned whether our actions constituted a conveyance.
They then claimed to have discovered evidence of locking devices and items that could be used for securing, and they arrested us.
She was carried away from where she had been standing in front of a Tesco store by officers.
Officers transported two males who appeared to have participated in the same demonstration to a marked police van.
Symon Hill, 46, who was previously arrested for shouting “who elected him?” during a proclamation ceremony for the King, expressed his optimism that he would not be arrested again.
The Crown Prosecution Service dismissed charges against Mr. Hill for using menacing or abusive language or disorderly conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
He told his assistant, “I fervently hope I will not be detained. I am participating in a legal, nonviolent protest, and I am concerned that more arrests will be made on bogus grounds.
”I am anxious but resolved to continue peacefully protesting against monarchy and arbitrary enforcement.
