Protests Rock London Over Coronation of King Charles III
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
Anti-monarchy protesters have staged demonstrations in central London on Saturday, over the coronation of King Charles III.
According to reports, hundreds of activists from the group Republic marched along the route taken by the King and Queen Consort, with some demonstrators joining a rally in Trafalgar Square.
As the royal procession passed, protesters could be heard chanting “Not My King.”
Some of the protesters, wearing yellow T-shirts with the inscription “Not My King,” were arrested by the police.
Republic CEO Graham Smith was among those arrested and a video footage on Twitter showed him being apprehended by the police on St Martin’s Lane in Westminster.
Luke Whiting, a Republic activist, confirmed that six members of the group were arrested, including the CEO, as the demonstration was starting at the edge of Trafalgar Square.
He said that it was unclear why they were arrested, potentially because one of them was carrying a megaphone, and questioned whether the police were misusing their powers to stop protests from happening.
Activist Shelly Asquith posted pictures on Twitter of demonstrators being questioned by officers and expressed outrage at the police’s actions.
The Metropolitan Police had warned demonstrators of their “extremely low threshold” for anyone disrupting, with offenders facing “very swift action.”
