A large crown of anti-monarchy protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square, booed and chanted “Not my king” during King Charles III’s coronation in Westminster Abbey.
Earlier, a man with a megaphone was arrested in St James’s Park, with police claiming it could “scare the horses”.
There have been a series of arrests in the hours leading up to the coronation, with members of anti-monarchy groups Just Stop Oil (JSO), Animal Rising (AR), and Republic being detained. Watch the video below for more:
Human rights groups have accused police of being heavy-handed in their approach, while JSO disputes claims they planned to jump the barrier and says 20 members were arrested for merely wearing t-shirts.
AR claims their supporters were arrested miles away from the coronation while at a nonviolence training and said the arrests were a “totalitarian crackdown on free speech and all forms of dissent”.
Anti-monarchy sentiment in the UK has a long history dating back centuries. The movement gained momentum in the 20th century, and today, it is fueled by controversies such as the expenses scandal and the treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Despite this, the monarchy remains a popular and respected institution in the UK.