The British Prime Minister considered that “it would not be correct” to “interfere in the operational decisions” of the London police, after the controversy created by the arrest of anti-monarchy activists during the coronation of Charles III.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured on Tuesday that the police acted “independently” of the government, after the strong criticism sparked by the arrest of anti-monarchy activists on the sidelines of the coronation of Charles III.
Early Saturday morning, six members of the anti-monarchy group Republic, including leader Graham Smith, were arrested in London as they marched to Trafalgar Square to demonstrate at the King’s Pass.
They were released on Saturday evening, after much criticism. The latter were revived by the “regrets” expressed by the police about this case on Monday evening, Graham Smith believing that these arrests had been “premeditated”.
Rishi Sunak on the reserve
As the controversy swells, Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that “people of course have the right to protest freely and peacefully, but the public must also be able to go about their daily business without facing serious disturbances”.
The police are “rightly operationally independent of the government”, he added. “It would not be right for me to interfere in their operational decisions.”
On Monday evening, Scotland Yard said it “regrets” that the six anti-monarchy demonstrators were unable to protest. No legal action will be taken against them.
Without apologizing, the London police explained that they had suspected them “of being equipped to chain themselves” but that the investigation was ultimately unable to prove such an intention.
Other projects
In Parliament, Home Secretary Chris Philp claimed there were several different plans to disrupt the ceremony, including the use of burglar alarms to scare horses and a separate plan to “spray paint” on the participants in the procession.
“Hundreds of people were able to exercise their right to peaceful protest”, he continued, pointing out that if they had not been thwarted, the plans for the disruptions would have been seen “around the world”.
Under a law that came into force on Wednesday, criticized as far as the UN, British police can arrest people in possession of equipment that could be used to chain themselves on public roads, a technique of protest and blocking regularly used by climate activists in the UK.
Conceding it was “regrettable” that those arrested were barred from protesting, Police Chief Mark Rowley defended his troops who acted “in this unique operational context” on coronation day.
“The decision to arrest us and obstruct our protest was premeditated,” Graham Smith told Sky News.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the London police chief asking for an internal investigation into the arrests.
In total, London police made 64 arrests on the day of the king’s coronation, mostly environmental activists.
