The police arrested 52 anti-monarchy protesters, including the leader of Republic campaign group, during King Charles' coronation on Saturday. The police stated that

their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest. Hundreds of yellow-clad demonstrators gathered among the crowds to stand out and hold up signs saying ‘Not My King’. The police seized the demonstrators’ placards and acted because they believed protesters would deface public monuments with paint and disrupt official movements.

Republic campaign group had vowed to mount the biggest protest against a British monarch in modern history, and protesters booed as King Charles and Queen Camilla made their way to Westminster Abbey.

Protests also took place in Glasgow and Cardiff, with participants holding up signs saying: ‘Abolish the monarchy, feed the people.’ Although the protesters were in a minority compared with the tens of thousands gathered on London’s streets to support the king, polls suggest support for the monarchy is declining and is weakest among young people. With the crown passing from Queen Elizabeth to her less popular son, republican activists hope Charles will be the last British monarch to be crowned. Photo by Jey Han, Wikimedia commons.