52 Protesters Arrested At King Charles’ Coronation

Leader of a prominent anti-monarchy group and dozens of people were today arrested during the king Henry’s coronation

London’s Metropolitan Police confirms   arrests  of 52 people for offences including affray, public order offences, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, and all remain in custody.

A breakdown provided by police  revealed that 32 – or about 60% – were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

According to a report obtained from BBC, Hundreds of protesters gathered in the rain in central London on Saturday, with chants including “down with the Crown”, “don’t talk to the police” and “get a real job”.

Other protests were organised in Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh. No arrests were reported outside London.’

The Met said it “understands” public concern, but that officers had acted proportionally under the law.

“Protest is lawful and it can be disruptive,” Commander Karen Findlay, leading the day’s operation, said – pointing to numerous protests that had been policed without any arrests.

Officers, she said, have a duty to intervene “when protest becomes criminal and may cause serious disruption”.

“This depends on the context. The Coronation is a once in a generation event and that is a key consideration in our assessment.”

0Accusations of heavy-handed enforcement began early on Saturday before the Coronation began, when the chief executive of anti-monarchist campaign group Republic, Graham Smith, was arrested at a protest in Trafalgar Square

 BBC