Anti-Monarchy Protesters at King Charles III's Coronation Are Getting a Very Unwelcome Surprise

Kristyn Burtt
·2 min read
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King Charles III’s coronation day may have been interrupted by rainy weather, but it wasn’t going to be disturbed by anti-monarchy protesters. Graham Smith, the leader of Republic, has been vocal for months about interrupting the day’s events with “Not My King” signs and chants in Trafalgar Square. However, Metropolitan Police had other plans.

The protesters, even though they were peaceful, were detained for disturbing the peace while wearing their “Not MY King” t-shirts, according to the BBC. The group’s official Twitter account posted snapshots of the police pulling people aside as the Republic group members wore their very bright yellow shirts. “So much for the right to peaceful protest #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy,” they wrote in their tweet.

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Smith and his followers have been a thorn in Charles’ side lately as they’ve shown up to many of his public appearances and he even had eggs thrown at him during a December engagement. Matt Turnbull, one of the arrested protesters on Saturday shared with the media outlet, “To be honest we were never going to be allowed to be a visible force here – they knew we were coming, and they were going to find a way to stop this.”

The Metropolitan Police warned Republic earlier this week that they should expect “swift action” for any protests on King Charles III’s historic day because they were going to have an “extremely low threshold” for any shenanigans. That warning did not deter Republic one bit as they wrote on their website, “Some ask why we’re protesting. It’s because we want to use the coronation to change the debate about the monarchy and show that we’re not a nation of royalists.” They seem determined to not only protest today, but throughout Charles’ reign.

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Before you go, click here to see every single detail we know about King Charles III’s coronation so far.

Launch Gallery: All the Best Hats & Fascinators From King Charles III’s Coronation

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