Not my King: thousands protest against coronation

As Charles III was crowned king in a sickening display of pomp and privilege, thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square and marched in central London to oppose the coronation and the monarchy. Not that you’d know this from the wall-to-wall coverage of the coronation in the mainstream media.

The day started with a dystopian display of authoritarianism. At 2am, the Metropolitan police had arrested Westminster Night Safety volunteers for carrying rape alarms that they claim could have been used to disrupt the coronation, and early in the morning they arrested Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic who called the protest, and a number of the organising team. They seized their #NotMyKing placards claiming the tie-ups on the placard sticks counted as “lock-on” devices banned under the new Public Order Act. At the time of writing, 14 hours since they were arrested, they remain detained by the police.