After dissipating the fog and excitement of an event, the coronation of Carlos III, which put London before half the world’s eyes, the Metropolitan Police have decided to respond with pre-emptive urgency to the criticism piling up against the heavy hand , which he used against Republican activists last Saturday. Scotland Yard issued a statement late Monday apologizing for the arrests made in the hours leading up to the ceremony. Under the guise of the new public order law that Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government rushed through on Wednesday, 72 hours before the celebrations, the agents blamed the Republican organization’s leader and others in the area around Trafalgar Square where the royal entourage would parade, wielding belts and towlines to attach them to street furniture, and transforming the public event.
“The investigative team has already fully examined the confiscated items and verified the specific circumstances under which the arrests took place. Those arrested said the items were used to tie and fasten the placards and investigations have failed to show that the intention was to use them to chain themselves and alter the event,” police said in their statement . “This afternoon the bails for the six detainees were canceled and no further legal action will be taken against them. We regret that the six arrested could not join the large group of protesters who gathered in Trafalgar Square and other points in the procession,” he added.
Tonight three Met cops visited my apartment to return my phone and luggage straps. They apologized while wearing a body cam. I have clarified that the apology will not be accepted as we will take further action. https://t.co/BwPxw2aNx5
— Graham Smith 🇺🇦 🏳️🌈 (@GrahamSmith_) May 8, 2023
Smith has made it clear he will not accept half-apologies and is considering taking legal action against police authorities: “Three agents came to the door of my home [el lunes por la mañana, en el barrio londinense de Reading]to personally apologize and deliver the straps. There was a chief inspector and two constables. They seemed quite embarrassed to be honest,” the Republic leader told PA News. “My response was: For the record, I don’t accept apologies. We have a lot to think about and there will be an answer.”
Shortly after, Smith announced on his Twitter account that he would be speaking to his attorneys about “possible legal action” in the face of “a shameful episode” and that he hoped authorities would conduct “a full investigation into the reasons they had.” Organization lied to and who authorized the arrests.”
70 prisoners
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Police came to arrest nearly 70 people during the celebrations. In some cases due to an apparent disturbance of public order. In others due to the interception of material which agents said could cause the nervousness of one of the hundreds of horses used in the procession. Using this excuse, three volunteers from Westminster Municipal Council’s Women’s Safety Program were arrested in the Soho area when agents discovered they were wearing anti-rape alarms that emit a loud noise to try to deter the alleged attackers. “Mayor [de Londres] Urgently calls for clarification of the circumstances that led to the arrest of the three volunteers on Friday night,” said a spokesman for Sadiq Khan.
Scotland Yard had the complicity of a citizenry sunk in the pageantry of splendor and ready to enjoy the celebration. In fact, the thousands of attendees at the event, concentrated around Trafalgar Square, did their best to silence Republican activists with their boos.
However, the hangover the day after has revealed the colors of the government, which has been heavily criticized for its actions by various human rights organizations and even by relevant columnists in the conservative press. “Whether you agree with the protests or not, this repression of dissent is deeply undemocratic. Republic is a respectable organization, not a mob. At the time they respected Elizabeth II’s funerals and previously negotiated with the police over the protests they were preparing for the coronation,” wrote Suzanne Moore in the Daily Telegraph, the most influential newspaper in the hard wing of the Tories.
Sunak’s government and the Prime Minister himself have begun to defend the police, but on the convenient argument that operational decisions are made independently of Scotland Yard. “Police are independent of the government in their operational capacity and make their decisions based on what they believe is best for public safety. The dedication of many people has been exceptional and I am deeply grateful to all of them,” said Sunak.
The Labor opposition, still euphoric from their victory in England’s local elections last week, has chosen to avoid an issue that makes them uneasy but on which they are too far ahead of a citizenry jealous of public order lost. “Peaceful protests are important in a democracy,” said Lisa Nandy, an MP for the main opposition party, before calling for an investigation into “what was done wrong,” while praising the police’s work in the coronation security operation. Labor Party leader Keir Starmer, once a human rights lawyer, has issued directives to curb criticism of the police or any obligation to repeal new anti-protest laws in the unlikely event his party comes to power in a general election.
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