Antimonarchy protesters booed the moment King Charles III was crowned in Westminster Abbey, before launching into a chant of “not my king”.
It comes after a man with an unused megaphone has been arrested in St James’s Park, with police claiming it could “scare the horses”.
Police were seen surrounding a handcuffed anti-monarchy protester at the park in London, with Sky’s Jason Farrell reporting that an officer said he “was in a crowd of monarchists and [the megaphone] could cause them distress”.
It was the latest in a series of arrests in the hours leading up to the King’s coronation, with several human rights organisations accusing officers of being heavy-handed in their approach.
Sky News reporters on the ground say more than a dozen have been arrested – and the Metropolitan Police have confirmed seven arrests so far.
Image: A van contained protest material that has now been confiscated. Pic: Twitter – @Labour4Republic
Among those detained are the leader of anti-monarchy group Republic, who was led away in a police van just after 7am as he made his way to a designated protest site, and Just Stop Oil protesters who were arrested on the Mall near Buckingham Palace a short while later over their plans to go over the barrier.
But Just Stop Oil claims they 20 members have been arrested merely for “wearing t-shirts and dispute claims they had planned to jump he barrier.
Image: A member of the Not My King protest was arrested at St James’s Park
‘Dystopian nightmare’
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Footage on Twitter shows a police officer taking the details of Republic CEO Graham Smith.
In the video, one officer can be heard saying: “They are under arrest, end of.”
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Watch as Charles is crowned King
Scotland Yard said four people have been arrested on “suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance”, after they were found with lock-on devices. A further three people were arrested at Wellington Arch and are being “held on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage”.
A spokeswoman for Just Stop Oil said five demonstrators were also arrested at Downing Street.
Image: Pic: Twitter – @Labour4Republic
Image: Just Stop Oil arrests on The Mall
She said the group’s plan was “only to display T-shirts and flags”, adding: “This is a dystopian nightmare.”
Onlookers to the arrests at The Mall sang the national anthem as the demonstrators shouted messages about climate change and the right to protest.
Some people approached protesters who were wearing handcuffs and told them to “shut up”, while others heckled the group and laughed at them.
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Anti-monarchy protesters arrested
‘Worrying’ use of new powers
Republic activist Luke Whiting, 26, said the group was arrested as they tried to bring yellow placards to a protest, and questioned if it was because “one of them was carrying a megaphone”.
He told Sky News: “We were very open with police about what we planned to do, which is hold a demonstration in Trafalgar Square.
“It seems [the protesters] have been arrested using this new powers. It’s quite a worrying thing to happen, we were pretty shocked.”
He said the group has been “open” with the police about what they had planned.
“They’ve said it’s perfectly legal for us to bring placards, bring flags and protest the coronation,” he added. “In a democratic society it is absolutely our right to do this and be peaceful and that’s what we are planning to do.”
Arrests have incensed protesters – as police’s threshold for disruption very low
It’s not surprising police already have used their new powers, given recent warnings in media briefings and a Home Office letter to protest groups.
The arrest of Republic supporters followed the alleged discovery, in a van delivering placards, of so-called ‘lock-on devices’.
A lock-on offence – the chaining of protesters to railings or buildings – is one of the new laws the government rushed through days before the coronation.
Sources said the devices were straps for carrying banners and a padlock to be used for locking the van during the day.
The arrest of a man for carrying a megaphone, which apparently could spook the processional horses and which he hadn’t used, particularly incensed protesters.
Police said they would clamp down where protest turned into disruption, but these arrests appear to have breached a very low threshold.
‘Incredibly alarming’
Non-profit campaign group Human Rights Watch said the “incredibly alarming” arrests were “something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London”.
Its UK director Yasmine Ahmed said in a statement: “Peaceful protests allow individuals to hold those in power to account, something the UK government seems increasingly averse to.”
On Wednesday, the Met announced it would have an “extremely low threshold” for protests during the coronation, and demonstrators could expect “swift action”.
The policing operation is set to see 11,500 police officers on duty on Saturday.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said the human rights group was concerned about the force’s statements about its “low tolerance” for protests ahead of the arrests.
He said: “We need to see what details emerge around these incidents, but merely being in possession of a megaphone or carrying placards should never be grounds for a police arrest.”
Image: Protesters have been taken away in police vans
Police ‘found evidence of locking on’
One woman in a Republic T-shirt who was arrested said the group had been questioned about how they got through road closures.
“We had a delivery of placards ready for the protest, and then the tactical support unit questioned us as to how we had got through the road closures,” she said.
“They questioned whether what we were doing was a delivery. They then said they found evidence of means of locking on, of items that could be used to lock on, and they arrested us.”
Officers carried her away from where she had been standing outside a Tesco store, while two men who appeared to have been part of the same demonstration were carried away by officers into a marked police van.
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Watch anti-monarchy protests
Why protesters have taken to the streets
Campaigners from two anti-monarchy groups have been speaking to Sky News this morning, ahead of the coronation ceremony, about why they have taken to the streets.
“I don’t believe that power should pass from one nepotism baby to the next,” said Imogen McBeath from No More Royals.
“There is no qualification that they have that means they have a divine right to rule.”
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Meet the coronation protesters gathering in central London ahead of the King’s coronation
When questioned about the King’s attempts to slim down the monarchy, she replied: “If they wanted to make an effort, they would recognise where their wealth comes from – which is colonisation.
“They would give back jewels and artefacts that they have stolen.”
Luke Whiting from Republic added: “It’s an incredibly expensive coronation process, up to a quarter of a billion pounds in the middle of a cost of living crisis. I think people have really been shocked by that.”
The father of the Manchester synagogue attacker has called for unity, as the community marked one week on from the assault which claimed the lives of two men.
People gathered outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall at 9.30am, the time of the attack last Thursday, to pray and mourn the victims.
Image: Pic: PA
Image: Pic: PA
Jihad al Shamie was shot dead by police after launching his car and knife attack as worshippers gathered on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
In a statement posted on Facebook, al Shamie’s father Faraj wrote: “The recent tragic act of terror has brought deep pain – to our family and to the families of the victims. Our hearts and prayers are with them.
“No one should ever experience such suffering again. We must all stand together – united, vigilant and compassionate – to prevent such acts and protect the peace of our communities.”
Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to prevent al Shamie from entering the synagogue.
Mervyn Cravitz, 66, also died while trying to keep the attacker from entering the building. Three other people remain in hospital.
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Manchester synagogue terrorist: what we know now
Rabbi Daniel Walker told the congregation that “evil will not prevail” and called for “deep resolve” from the community.
There was applause from the crowd for Greater Manchester Police, with a large presence of officers at the event, for their response on the day of the attack.
Raphi Bloom, a board member of the Jewish Representative Council, said there was a feeling of anger in the community as “we were screaming this would happen and no one listened”.
He told Sky News: “Our feelings are still of mourning, of fear and of isolation. We feel very alone. We’re very, very angry that this was allowed to happen and fearful that it will happen again.
The Princess of Wales has said smartphones and computer screens create “an epidemic of disconnection” within families.
Kate’s words – in an essay co-written with a Harvard professor – come ahead of a visit to Oxford to highlight her work on early years education and support.
In the piece, she says that “while new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection”.
“While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite,” writes the princess.
“Our smartphones, tablets, and computers have become sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require.”
Emphasising how she believes technology can interfere in family life, she adds: “We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds.
“We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.
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“This technological interference strikes at something fundamental: our undivided attention is the most precious gift we can give another person. Yet, increasingly, it’s the most difficult gift to offer.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales have previously spoken about the potentially harmful effects of social media.
Image: Kate says technology is increasingly interfering in family life
In a recent interview, Prince William revealed that their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, currently don’t have mobile phones, and that they try to have dinner together.
Kate’s essay, titled The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World, was released by her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger.
Kate first met the Harvard academic in 2022 and he’s worked closely with the Royal Foundation ever since.
“We live increasingly lonelier lives, which research shows is toxic to human health, and it’s our young people (aged 16 to 24) that report being the loneliest of all, the very generation that should be forming the relationships that will sustain them throughout life,” write the princess and the professor.
Later today, the princess will visit Home‑Start Oxford to meet volunteers and families, and talk about how they are using resources and films produced by the Centre for Early Childhood to help parents and children.
A murderer who threw “prison napalm” over a man before stabbing him in the heart has been jailed for at least 20 years.
Gavin Gallagher, 33, claimed he was acting in self-defence when he launched the boiling water and sugar mix over Stephen Gray, 23, before knifing him.
However, he was convicted of murder and accused of staging the crime scene in an attempt to cover his tracks.
In his sentencing statement, Judge Lord Mulholland told Gallagher: “I was not surprised that the jury rejected self-defence and provocation.
“It seemed to me that your defence of self-defence was staged, and your lies unravelled.”
Image: Stephen Gray. Pic: Police Scotland
The fatal attack occurred at a block of flats in Glasgow’s Southcroft Street on 3 November 2023.
Lord Mulholland said Mr Gray was bare chested when Gallagher threw the boiling water and sugar mix over him.
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The concoction is often referred to as “prison napalm” due to being used by inmates during assaults.
The judge said the vast majority of burns were to Mr Gray’s back.
Lord Mulholland said: “He was bare chested, and the burns caused by what you did must have been very painful. You can see that from the photographs of his injuries.”
Gallagher then stabbed Mr Gray twice with a large kitchen knife.
The judge said: “One of these blows penetrated his heart and caused massive bleeding which led to his death. This injury was unsurvivable.
“You then did what you could to set up a defence of self-defence in an attempt to cover your tracks.
“You placed a knife alongside his dying body and said to a neighbour that it was the deceased’s knife.
“You told anyone who would listen that you killed him in self-defence.”
Gallagher was convicted of murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
He returned to the dock for sentencing on Wednesday, when he was handed a life sentence with at least 20 years in jail.
Detective Superintendent Hannah Edward said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Stephen and while we know nothing can change what has happened, I hope this brings them some degree of closure as they try to move forward.
“This was a shocking attack and Gallagher will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.”