The British Coronation had an Influx of Anti-Monarchy Protests
Photo: Piroschka Van De Wouw via: CNN
The coronation of King Charles III was last weekend and many stars and world leaders were in attendance. However, outside of the festivities, there were various protests throughout Britain against the new king and the monarchy. Through recent years, many British people have questioned the need for a monarchy and have actively spoken out against it even during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The recent coronation and publicity of King Charles III has increased anti-monarchy protests and opinions.
Photo: Chris Ratcliff via: CNN
The crowds, protests and busy roads were expected with the Metropolitan police having 11,500 police officers deployed in London during the coronation. London was the center of the anti-monarchy protests with many protesters chanting “Not my King” and wearing shirts with the same slogan. These protests led to many arrests and the Metropolitan police reported dozens of arrests including 6 organizers from the anti-monarchy group, Republic. These arrests caused concern for various human rights organizations and protesters alike, who thought that the Metropolitan police was being too harsh on the protesters and heavy handed on the arrests.
Photo: LEILA DOUGAN via The New Republic
Majority of the protests have been peaceful for British people to use their free speech, however, these protests were not seen this way. The UK chief executive for Amnesty International, Sacha Deshmukh, “We need to see what details emerge around these incidents but merely being in possession of a megaphone or carrying placards should never be grounds for a police arrest,” she said. “Peaceful protest is clearly protected under international human rights law and it’s been worrying to see the police this week making numerous statements about their ‘low tolerance’ for disruption at the coronation. The coronation shouldn’t become yet another excuse for undermining people’s basic human rights in this country and we’re awaiting more details over these concerning reports of arrests.”
Photo: PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW via Newsweek
Now that King Charles is officially the King of England and the coronation is over, these protests have subsided for now. However, it is hard to tell what the future of the monarchy is. Many people in England are believing less and less in the monarchy and many feel like Britain does not need one to survive as a country. The amount of people at these protests were a sign of this.
