“NOT MY KING”: Thousands Protest Against The Monarchy in UK
ProtestersLONDON — As King Charles III gets ready for his coronation at Westminster Abbey, thousands of people who oppose the monarchy took to the streets in London — and police arrested at least seven of them.
“The police are dealing with a large-scale operation in central London,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement Saturday. “The individuals have been arrested on suspicion of causing a breach of the peace.”
One of those arrested was Graham Smith, leader of Republic, a group that campaigns for an elected head of state.
He was seen being taken to a police van at Trafalgar Square, where the protests took place.
Smith told The Washington Post before his arrest that many Britons felt loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. But she died last year. Not to her son, Charles. He said Charles “has none of that” — and his rise to the throne could boost the anti-monarchy movement.
“Things are already changing,” Smith said. “People are more willing to question, challenge and speak out about being republicans.”
King Charles has faced hostile crowds at many of his public appearances.
He was booed and jeered at events where he announced his accession to the throne and he was pelted with eggs twice last year, in York and in Luton.
Surveys show king Charles is less popular than his mother or his sister, Princess Anne, his eldest son, Prince William, or his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales.
His wife Camilla is even more disliked — many Britons hold her responsible for ruining Charles’s first marriage with the much-loved Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
LONDON — Police have detained several protesters who oppose the monarchy in central London, according to an anti-monarchy group, as the coronation of King Charles III draws criticism for its handling of dissenters at the historic occasion.
Thousands of people flocked to central London on Saturday to witness the rare event. But it also attracted demonstrators, with protesters wearing yellow T-shirts chanting “Not My King” and booing throughout the morning.
Republic, the biggest anti-monarchy group in Britain, told CNN that police arrested the organizers of Saturday’s anti-monarchy protest without giving any explanation.
