Human rights organizations have accused Scotland Yardthe London police, of having attacked in an “incredibly alarming” way the right to protest for the arrests of fifty more activists during the acts of the coronation of King Carlos III, this Saturday in London.
Early in the morning, agents of the metropolitan police they arrested graham smiththe leader of Republic, the country’s main anti-monarchy organisation, while carrying signs for the protesters in Trafalgar Square, the point where the group had summoned their supporters to demonstrate in front of the royal procession. The body later reported that in total during Saturday they were detained 52 people for fighting, as well as offenses against public order and conspiracy to cause public disturbances around the coronation.
After being released, at 11:00 p.m., Smith denounced on Twitter that in the United Kingdom the time for the right to protest peacefully has run out. “I have been told many times that the monarch is here to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name,” he added.
I’m now out of the police station. Still waiting for my colleagues.
Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK.
I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.
— Graham Smith 🇺🇦 🏳️🌈 (@GrahamSmith_) May 6, 2023
The Metropolitan Police also arrested three people who, according to intelligence reports, were planning to use tamper alarms to ruffle the horses during the coronation parade. However, the Westminster council assured that the detainees were volunteers who work in the security of women at night in the streets of the city center. “We are working with the police to establish exactly what happened,” counselor Aicha Less said.
new powers
Police were given new powers to silence protests under a law passed earlier this week to tighten security during coronation ceremonies. “There have been numerous hands-off protests during the coronation,” Commander Karen Findlay explained. “Our duty is to do so in a proportionate manner in accordance with the law. We also have a duty to intervene when the protest turns criminal and can cause serious disruption. This depends on the context. The coronation is a once-in-a-generation event and that is a key consideration in our evaluation,” added the representative of a body that this week had already warned that it would have a “very low tolerance” against those who wanted to “undermine” the day.
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The organization Human Rights Watch He censured the arrests. “The news of people detained for peacefully protesting against the coronation is incredibly alarming. This is something you would expect in Moscow, not London,” said HRW UK director Yasmine Ahmed, before accusing Rishi Sunak’s government. of being “increasingly reluctant” to allow citizens to hold power accountable.
For his part, the CEO of International Amnesty in the UK, Sacha Deshmukh, said: “Just being in possession of a megaphone or carrying banners should never be grounds for police arrest. Peaceful protest is clearly protected under international human rights law and has been It is worrying to see the police this week making numerous statements about their ‘low tolerance’ for the disruption of the coronation. The coronation must not become just another excuse to undermine the basic human rights of people in this country and we are awaiting more details on these arrest reports,” he added.