Arrests at King Charles’ coronation have been criticised by anti-monarchists as heavy-handed, with Republic group leader Graham Smith arguing that the arrests were pre-determined and

intended to protect the king from embarrassment.

London police arrested 51 people, including Smith, in central London for attempting to disrupt the coronation procession. Smith and other members of the Republic group were detained for nearly 16 hours. Police cited intelligence that protesters were determined to disrupt the event and warned of low tolerance for disruption.

However, London’s police chief Mark Rowley will have to be accountable for their approach. The new policing law and public order act allow police to curtail protests further. Additionally, a separate incident involved the arrest of three people on Saturday morning and the seizure of rape alarms, with the Westminster Council expressing concerns about the detention of trained volunteers for a night safety scheme.

While tens of thousands of people attended the event, not everyone was there to cheer Charles, as hundreds of republicans booed and waved banners. Culture Minister Lucy Frazer said the police were right to take a tougher line on an event that could have raised questions about national security. Photo by WereSpielChequers, Wikimedia commons.