Metropolitan Police to be questioned over coronation protest arrests

Metropolitan Police bosses are to be questioned by the London Assembly over the power’s remedy of protesters throughout this weekend’s coronation celebrations.

A complete of 64 individuals have been arrested – together with 13 individuals to “prevent a breach of the peace” and a person with an unused megaphone, who police stated might “scare the horses”.

Four individuals have been then charged.

Reports additionally claimed volunteers who have been handing out rape alarms to maintain girls secure within the early hours of Saturday morning have been taken into custody.

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Met Police commander Karen Findlay defended the power’s actions, saying officers policed the coronation “proportionately” and throughout the “context” of the large-scale occasion.

But opposition politicians and protest teams have raised considerations officers have been heavy-handed and impinged on the best to protest.

Speaking to the BBC, chair of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, Caroline Russell, stated members could be questioning senior officers concerning the operation.

“I think it’s really worrying that these arrests have happened,” added the Green Party chief within the Assembly.

“It felt like for someone who was trying to protest, and trying to do it by the book, it was very difficult to understand what the rules were.”

She additionally stated the studies round volunteers being arrested, who have been thought to have been a part of Westminster City Council’s Night Stars programme, have been “absolutely extraordinary”.

Ms Russell stated her committee questions London Mayor Sadiq Khan – who has sought “urgent clarity” across the arrests – and the power each fortnight, “so of course we will be questioning this because I’m sure members of all parties will want to have their questions answered”.

The arrests got here after police got further powers to deal with disruptive protests via new authorities laws simply days earlier than the coronation happened.

The change to the legislation means demonstrators withstand a 12 months in jail for blocking roads, airports and railways, and lets officers cease and search anybody they think is planning to trigger disruption.

The head of the anti-monarchy marketing campaign group Republic, Graham Smith, stated he was arrested earlier than the coronation on Saturday and held in a police cell for 16 hours, regardless of engagement with the Met for 4 months over the group’s protest plans.

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest in order to protect the coronation,” he advised the BBC.

“[The Met] has repeatedly said right up until Friday that they had no concerns about our protest plans, they were well aware of what we were going to do and they would engage with us and not disrupt us – so they have repeatedly lied about their intentions and I believe that they had every intention of arresting us prior to doing so.”

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Asked if, throughout the context of the coronation – the place many hundreds wished to attend the occasion and have fun – police have been proper to take motion, Mr Smith stated: “That is not an excuse to rob people of their rights, that is not an excuse to arrest people and detain them for 16 hours because some people want to enjoy a party, that is a disgraceful suggestion.

“You have to have the ability to protest and if some individuals don’t love the very fact that there have been protesters there then, frankly, they must put up with it.

“You cannot say that they have to enjoy a party and therefore other people have to be arrested.”

On Sunday, the deputy chief of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, advised Sky News she had “concerns” the power didn’t get the steadiness proper when it got here to making sure the occasion went forward safely whereas permitting peaceable protest.

“Whether you are royalist or whether you are republican, we should all be able to agree on free speech and the right to protest,” she added.

But Lucy Frazer, the tradition secretary, advised Sophy Ridge on Sunday the Met “managed to get that balance right”, whereas deputy chairman of the Conservative get together, Lee Anderson, advised those that did not approve of the celebrations to “emigrate”.