During the King’s Coronation, dozens of people were detained, including the leader of a well-known anti-monarchy party.
The Metropolitan Police in London reported that 52 people were detained after being arrested for a variety of reasons.
Human rights organisations have called the arrest of anti-monarchy protestors earlier in the day “alarming.”
The Met claimed that while it “understands” the public’s anxiety, the police had behaved legally and proportionately.
In charge of the day’s operations, Commander Karen Findlay stated, “Protest is lawful and it can be disruptive,” pointing to past protests that had been policed without leading to any arrests.
She stated that officers had a responsibility to step in “when protest turns criminal and threatens serious disruption.”
“It depends on the situation. One of the most important factors in our evaluation is the fact that the Coronation only happens once every generation.
The chief executive of the anti-monarchist campaign group Republic, Graham Smith, was detained at a protest in Trafalgar Square early on Saturday before the Coronation, sparking accusations of zealous policing.
Video showed Mr. Smith and other demonstrators wearing “Not My King” t-shirts being held. Police allegedly halted Republic while they were unloading signs close to the parade.
The Met reported that “lock-on devices” had been taken, which protesters can use to fasten themselves to things like railings. This week, new legislation was passed that makes it unlawful to get ready to lock-on.
52 people were detained, according to the police, for charges such as assault, public order violations, disturbance of the peace, and conspiracy to produce a public nuisance.
A breakdown afterwards supplied showed that 32 people, or around 60%, were detained on suspicion of planning to create a public nuisance.
The Met declined to say how many anti-monarchy protestors were detained, but the environmental advocacy group Just Stop Oil said that roughly 13 demonstrators were detained on London’s Mall and five more were detained in Downing Street.
This is a dystopian nightmare, a Just Stop Oil spokeswoman said, adding that their aim was “only to display T-shirts and flags.”
A few of their supporters were detained at a training session “miles away from the coronation,” according to fellow environmental demonstrators Animal Rising.
The allegations of people being detained for peacefully opposing the coronation are quite disturbing, according to Yasmine Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch UK.
“This is something that you would expect to see in Moscow, not London.”
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators congregated in the pouring rain in the heart of London, chanting “down with the Crown,” “don’t talk to the police,” and “get a real job.”
There were other rallies planned for Cardiff, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. Outside London, there were no recorded arrests.
Republic shared images of police officers obtaining information from those who had been arrested on Twitter.
The group declared, “So much for the right to peaceful protest,” adding that the police would not disclose their arrest’s justifications.
Hundreds of demonstrators booed the cries of “God Save the King” during the Coronation ceremony, which was broadcast over loudspeakers in Trafalgar Square.
A Republic Cymru-organized demonstration drew about 300 people to Cardiff City Centre.
On a march in Glasgow’s city centre, pro-independence demonstrators in Scotland yelled anti-monarchy slogans, while the pro-elected head of state organisation Our Republic held a separate gathering.
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Republic, though, claimed that authorities had “misconstrued” the straps intended to hold their signs in place.
