Anti-Charles Protester Arrests During Coronation Spark Fury: 'Police State'
Six members of Britain's leading anti-monarchy protest group have been arrested in London ahead of King Charles III's coronation ceremony, the group has claimed.
Over 1,000 protestors are expected to have gathered in London to demonstrate against Charles' coronation at Westminster Abby, many of them holding "Not My King" signs associated with the group Republic.
In a statement on Twitter, made in the hours before the coronation was due to take place, Republic announced: "This morning, Graham Smith [Republic's CEO] and 5 members of our team were arrested. Hundreds of placards were seized. Is this democracy? #NotMyKing #Coronation."
Among the crowds in London, Harry Stratton, director of the protest group compared the move by the Metropolitan Police to those conducted in a "police state." He told Newsweek: "Six of our main organisers have been arrested and they won't tell us why. It's like something out of a police state."
The Metropolitan Police have announced a number of arrests that took place in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
In a statement made via the Met's social media channels, they said: "A significant police operation is underway in central London. We have made a number of arrests in the area of Carlton House Terrace. The individuals have been held on suspicion of breaching the peace.
"Earlier today we arrested four people in the area of St Martin's Lane. They were held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. We seized lock-on devices.
"A further three people were arrested in the area of Wellington Arch. They were held on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage. There will be further updates later today."
It is not yet clear which individuals were arrested on which suspected charges, Republic CEO Graham Smith, who is believed to be among them, has been a prominent figure in the fight to bring down the monarchy for a number of years.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Republic has increased its presence at royal events, including the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March.
During the event, the group chanted their slogan, "Not My King" and booed Charles and Queen Camilla as they arrived. The group also targeted Prince William's arrival with Kate Middleton with calls of, "You're never going to be our king!"
The coronation protestors have gathered in the area of Trafalgar Square in London, past which the King and Queen will travel in their carriages on the way to and from the abbey.
Charles and Camilla will take part in the two hour religious ceremony in the presence of world leaders and high profile guests including First Lady Jill Biden who is officially representing the U.S.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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