Man Who Threatened King Charles Demands End to 'Fascism' Before Coronation

A man who was arrested and sentenced after he threw eggs at King Charles III has called for a "global revolution" to bring an end to "fascism" after he joined crowds of protestors demonstrating at the coronation on Saturday.

Patrick Thelwell, 23, was found guilty of committing a public offense last month following a November 2022 incident where he hurled five eggs toward Charles as the monarch visited York in Northern England to unveil a statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Thelwell did not hit the King and argued that his actions were justifiable as an act of self-defense against "the violence carried out by the British state." He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

Meeting with protestors in central London on Coronation Day, Thelwell told Newsweek: "We need a global revolution to stop the rise of fascism otherwise we're all going to die.

"This country deserves better. We deserve to live in a true democracy and that will never happen while we are still believing in the absolute lie that this man [Charles] was chosen by God to rule over us because his blood is better than ours. I don't believe that's true and I don't think most people do either!"

When asked if he planned on throwing eggs during the King's coronation procession, Thelwell responded that he wouldn't as "counter-terrorism police" were aware of his presence, and that he no longer believes it is an "effective strategy to achieve serious political change."

The 23-year-old gathered with members of the anti-monarchy protest group, Republic, who have increased their efforts to engage publicly in conversations about removing the monarch as Britain's head of state.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, the protest group has become more prominently visible at large-scale royal events such as the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March and regional visits made by the King around Britain.

Known for their slogan "Not My King" and their high visibility yellow clothing, the group gathered at Trafalgar Square between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey to demonstrate on Coronation Day.

As King Charles arrived at Buckingham Palace to prepare for their procession to the abbey, Republic announced that their CEO Graham Smith and five other members of the group had been arrested and detained by police.

Republic director Harry Stratton Republic told Newsweek: "Six of our main organizers have been arrested they won't tell us why. It's like something out of a police state."

Newsweek has not yet independently verified the claim.

Previously speaking to Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast, Smith highlighted the disconnect between Britain's depressed economic state and an extravagantly expensive coronation that has "no purpose."

"There is no need for a coronation," he told Chief Royal Correspondent Jack Royston, "It's obviously going to be a huge expense...We want to see the monarchy abolished and big royal events are a good opportunity to make that point and particularly at the coronation.

"Since 2011 we've had two weddings, two jubilees, the accession of Charles and the funeral [for Queen Elizabeth] and so on. On all of these occasions, our numbers have gone up and on all of these occasions we get a lot more media interest, we also see more engagement with the public," he said of Republic's increasing profile in Britain.

"The thing about the coronation is that this isn't a birthday, it isn't a wedding, it isn't an anniversary, it is just raw PR really. It is just a big moment for the palace to say 'Here we are. Isn't it all wonderful, don't we all love it and isn't it great that we've got this new king!' There's no purpose for it, we don't need to have it, so it should be facing protest."

Charles will be the 40th monarch crowned at Westminster Abbey in what will be the first joint coronation between a King and Queen Consort in 86 years.

The ceremony will last two hours with a carriage procession afterward and a planned Royal Air Force flypast over Buckingham Palace to close the day's events.

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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