A Quebecer used his presence in London to avoid the coronation of the new King Charles III. to celebrate, but to demonstrate against the monarchy in the company of hundreds of English people.
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“The British Imperial Crown and the Canadian Crown have done irreparable damage to the people of Quebec, the Acadians, the Métis and the indigenous people. And these abuses, his successive constitutional dictates, these are things that we must not forget, or at least must not forget,” said Maxime Laporte, constitutional attorney and president of the Mouvement Québec français (MQF). ).
The former General President of the Society of Saint John the Baptist (SSJB), who was already in England for personal reasons, showed up in London on Saturday to add his voice to the anti-monarchy demonstrations that were just taking place in Trafalgar Square about a mile from the Coronation Ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
At the scene, the crowd of Republic group protesters was “dense, […] contained, surrounded by the police,” said the lawyer, who tried to blend in with the group with fluorescent yellow signs “Let’s abolish the monarchy”.
The two camps answered each other, singing “Long live the king” and “Not my king” in succession in a tense atmosphere.
Earlier, before the ceremony began, Republican movement leader Graham Smith was arrested along with five other activists while “hundreds of signs” were confiscated, AFP reported.
machine of repression
“We feel that a whole machine of repression has been set in motion and I find that particularly shocking given that the protesters were peaceful,” pounded Maxime Laporte. It’s pretty tough to start a reign.”
In his opinion, it is high time for Quebec to distance itself from the monarchy, or at least engage in “a substantive debate about the nature of our political system.”
“And above all on the question of who is our sovereign. Is it Charles III, King of Canada and Quebec, or shouldn’t it be the Quebecers? To me, democracy would suggest that the final say should be with the people of Quebec,” he added.
Anti-monarchy Movement: Repercussions as far afield as Canada
The anti-monarchy wave currently sweeping the United Kingdom could have repercussions as far away as Canada, according to a constitutional expert.
“If Canada doesn’t act, it will end up with an empty throne as head of state. He will always be more isolated,” said André Binette, author of the book The End of the Quebec Monarchy.
Canada may eventually be the only country in America that is a constitutional monarchy and even the only member of the Commonwealth alongside the United Kingdom, argued the founding president of the Coalition for the Republic of Quebec.
A referendum on the question of the monarchy is planned in Jamaica within two years. At the same time, the republican movement in Australia and New Zealand is gaining momentum.
“The problem in Canada is that the monarchy is at the heart of the constitution and the constitution is locked. But the question will still be asked more and more”, supports Me Binette.
In his opinion, “Multiculturalism and Canadian immigration are incompatible with the survival of the monarchy”. He therefore believes that if the monarchy is not abolished by the end of the decade, it certainly will be in the next.
“The monarchy is doomed. It’s not a revival at all, it’s an emphasis on the decline of the monarchy that we are witnessing,” Me Binette said.