LONDON听–听Anti–尘辞苍补谤肠丑颈蝉迟蝉听on Sunday criticized the policing of the聽聽as heavy-handed, saying there was no longer a right to peaceful protest in Britain after dozens of protesters were arrested and detained into the night.
笔辞濒颈肠别听聽Graham Smith, leader of the Republic group, and dozens others in central London as thousands of royal fans gathered in the capital for the event on Saturday, saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest.
Republic said that members began to be released late on Saturday evening after nearly 16 hours in custody.
“This was a heavy-handed action which had the appearance of a pre-determined arrest that would have occurred regardless of the evidence or our actions. The right to protest peacefully in the UK no longer exists,” Mr. 聽said in a statement.
“These听补谤谤别蝉迟蝉听were not about protecting people from harm, but about protecting the听碍颈苍驳听from embarrassment.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said on Sunday night that 64听补谤谤别蝉迟蝉听in total had been made on Saturday for offences including breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
One had been charged under the public order act, while others had been released on bail.
The police said on Saturday that they understood public concern following the听补谤谤别蝉迟蝉, but said they acted after receiving information that protesters were determined to disrupt the聽肠辞谤辞苍补迟颈辞苍听procession.
London police chief Mark Rowley warned on Friday that police would take action if protesters tried to “obstruct the enjoyment and celebration” of people, saying there would be a “” for disruption.
Police have gained further powers to curtail protests under a new policing law passed last year, and a public order act which came into force on May 3.
In a separate incident, there was a dispute after police arrested three people on Saturday morning and seized a number of rape alarms. The police cited intelligence that there were plans to disrupt the procession with the alarms, but the local Westminster Council expressed concern that trained volunteers for a night safety scheme had been detained.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of our Night Stars volunteers being arrested overnight,” local councillor Aicha Less said, adding the volunteers were being offered support.
“We are wor办颈苍驳听with the Metropolitan Police to establish exactly what happened.”
Wes Streeting, a senior lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, declined to comment on specific听补谤谤别蝉迟蝉听while investigations were ongoing, but said London’s police would have to be accountable as to whether their overall approach to the聽肠辞谤辞苍补迟颈辞苍听was proportionate.
聽of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the newly crowned听碍颈苍驳听Charles and Queen Camilla, who rode in a state coach back to Buckingham Palace after Saturday’s service at Westminster Abbey.
Not everyone who came to watch was there to cheer Charles, with hundreds of republicans booing and waving banners reading “Not My听碍颈苍驳“.
Culture Minister Lucy Frazer said she had huge confidence in the police and added that they were right to take a tougher line on an event that could have raised questions about national security. – Reuters
