‘Not my king’: anti-monarchist arrests spark criticism in Britain
- One activist says he was warned by a police officer after holding up a blank piece of paper opposite the UK parliament
- Civil liberties groups say that people’s right to protest must be respected
British police faced criticism from civil liberties groups on Tuesday over their treatment of anti-monarchy protesters who have publicly challenged King Charles’s accession to the throne.
Footage went viral on social media on Monday of a woman demonstrator holding a “Not My King” protest placard being confronted by at least four officers outside the UK parliament in London.
She was seen being escorted away from the spot and was reportedly made to stand at another location away from the gates of parliament.
Lawyer and climate activist Paul Powlesland also revealed on Twitter that he had been warned by an officer that he risked arrest after he held up a blank piece of paper opposite parliament.
“He confirmed that if I wrote, ‘Not My King’ on it, he would arrest me under the Public Order Act because someone might be offended,” Powlesland wrote alongside video footage showing him talking to an officer.