“They have arrested 6 of our organizers, confiscated hundreds of banners, and will not tell us why they were arrested or where they are being held,” a Republican activist told AFP in London’s Trafalgar Square, whose director general of the movement, Graham Smith.
Some nearby onlookers chanted “Free Graham Smith!” Others shouted “God save the King” while waving British flags.
And on its official Twitter account, the “Jumhuriya” movement confirmed the arrests and the confiscation of the banners, and added: “Is this democracy?
Human Rights Watch criticized the arrest of protesters by British police before the start of King Charles III’s coronation ceremony, saying it was “very worrying”.
The organization said: “It’s something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London,” criticizing the UK government for its “increasingly dismissive” stance on public protests.
London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley warned on Friday that “no disturbance will be allowed” on the streets of central London, where tens of thousands of people gather to watch the royal processions.
A photo posted to Twitter showed Smith sitting on the ground surrounded by a group of police officers.
A police officer at the site near Trafalgar Square said a number of Republican lawyers had been arrested for possession of painting equipment.
More than 11,000 police patrol to secure the coronation ceremony, the biggest official festive event held in the British capital for 70 years.
Ahead of the ceremony, Rowley said police would take action if protesters tried to “disrupt the atmosphere of fun and celebration” in which many people live.
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