The Metropolitan Police has come under fire after arresting 52 people ahead of the Coronation, with politicians and campaign groups condemning the actions as an infringement on protest rights. The arrests took place in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, where a senior police chief reportedly ordered officers to detain anyone with a megaphone for “breaching the peace.”
Shadow minister Jess Philips criticised the force, stating that “our nation and our King is not so fragile as to not be able to take harmless protest of a different view.” Sir Chris Bryant added that “freedom of speech is the silver thread that runs through a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.” Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting emphasised the importance of accountability, saying that if the police “did not get it right, it was important to hold your hands up.”
Among those arrested was Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchist group Republic. He said the detentions “destroyed whatever trust might have existed between protest groups and the police,” and argued that the arrests “put the lie” to claims that the monarchy protects democracy and freedoms. Some campaign groups likened the “incredibly alarming” arrests to “something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London.”
The Met confirmed that the 52 arrests were for affray, public order offences, breach of the peace, and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Commander Karen Findlay defended the actions, stating: “Our duty is to do so in a proportionate manner in line with relevant legislation.” However, the force faces mounting pressure to explain its decision to take such strong action against demonstrators.
