Amid coronation of King Charles, anti-monarchy protest rocks London

Anti-monarchy protest rocked King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, as some activists in Central London took to the street in objection to the ceremony.

 

The activists from the Republic marched along the London route taken by the King and Queen Consort, with hundreds of demonstrators set to join a rally in Trafalgar Square.

 

They could be heard chanting “Not My King” as the royal procession passed.

 

The police arrested some of the protesters, decked out in yellow T-shirts, with the inscription, “Not My King”.

 

A video footage on Twitter shows Republic CEO, Graham Smith, being apprehended by police on St. Martin’s Lane in Westminster, on Saturday morning.

 

Republic activist, Luke Whiting, told the PA news agency about the arrest made.

 

“Six Republic members have been arrested including the CEO as the demonstration was starting at the edge of Trafalgar Square.

 

“It is unclear why. Potentially, it is because one of them was carrying a megaphone.

 

“It is unclear exactly whether the police are using these new powers and whether they are misusing them to stop protests happening,” he said.

 

Activist Shelly Asquith posted pictures on Twitter of demonstrators being questioned by officers.

 

“Outrageous scenes of cops arresting anti-monarchy protesters and stealing their placards. So, we are not allowed to show public opposition to a bloke being crowned head of state for having been born into unimaginable wealth while people line up at food banks and schools fall apart,” she wrote.

 

The Met warned demonstrators it had an extremely low threshold for anyone disrupting, with offenders facing very swift action.