British police arrested Graham Smith, leader of the antimonarchist group Republic, ahead of the coronation of King Charles III. on Saturday, a spokesman for the group told Portal.
Police have not confirmed Smith’s arrest but say four people have been arrested on suspicion of public harassment and three others on charges of possession of objects intended to “damage” the police operation.
The Republican group said five of its supporters were arrested and hundreds of posters confiscated. A photo posted to Twitter showed Smith sitting on the floor surrounded by a group of police officers.
Antimonarchist Britons protest on Charles III’s coronation day
Harry Stratton, director of the Republican Movement who arrived at the scene when Smith and the others were arrested told The Guardian newspaper: “They picked up the placards and brought them back when the police stopped them. The guys asked why and said, ‘We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve searched the vehicle.’ Then they arrested the six organizers.”
“We asked on what basis they were arrested, but they didn’t say,” Stratton said.
Republic had announced it would stage the largest protest against a British monarch in modern history. London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley even commented on Friday that police would take action if protesters tried to “hinder people’s fun and celebration”.
The protesters, dressed in yellow Tshirts, called for an elected head of state and said the royal family has no place in a modern constitutional democracy.
Some antimonarchist protesters held signs reading “Privatize them” and “Abolish the monarchy, not the right to protest” and “Not my king”.
Other plaques featured a picture of Meghan, wife of Charles’ son Prince Harry, with the words “People’s Princess” and “God Save the King” with a picture of Pele.
While the protesters were a minority compared to the tens of thousands who rallied on London’s streets to support the king, polls suggest support for the monarchy is waning, weakest among young people.
A YouGov poll last month found that 64% of people in the UK said they had little or no interest in the coronation. Among 1824 year olds, the proportion who expressed little or no interest rose to 75%.
There have been protests at royal events since Charles became king last September. He was questioned at a Commonwealth Day event at Westminster Abbey in March and shot at with eggs in York in November. Republican campaigners hope Charles will be the last British monarch to be crowned.