Thousands of British these days pass in front of the queen’s coffin to greet her. At Westminster Hall, the line was even temporarily closed for the first time today, as it had reached the length of nearly 8 kilometers with the associated waiting time of at least 14 hours.
Yet silent protests thwart these endless lines. Like royal fans, these protests are popping up in places where the queen’s coffin spends her last days. For example, anti-monarchy protesters have appeared in Edinburgh and London in Scotland in recent days.
‘Outstanding and shocking’
Zarah Sultana, a member of parliament for the Labor political party, openly shared her criticism on Twitter. “No one should be arrested for expressing republican views. It is extraordinary and shocking that this needs to be said.”
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A silent protest took place in Wales today on the day the new King Charles III and his wife Camilla visited the capital of this British part of the country. Under the slogan “Real Protest Now”, trade unions and supporters of an independent Wales have called for protests at Cardiff Castle.
The organizers asked the police in advance to respect their right to demonstrate. They found previous removals and arrests of other protesters disturbing. This is what Bethan Sayed, co-organizer and former Wales representative, tells us.
“It is very dangerous when people are arrested because of their opinion. We will not tolerate it.” Sayed appreciates the British mourning process, but thinks another voice should be heard just as well. “Even if it’s difficult.”
Almost stopped by empty paper
Sayed explains that earlier this week she was called by a disillusioned man. It was a problem that she was holding a blank white piece of paper in her hand, because she could perhaps write something provocative on it. “These kinds of measures are a danger to democracy”.
It happened to lawyer and activist Paul Powlesland who secretly captured him on his mobile and shared it on Twitter. In the video, you can hear the police ask for his details. The reason? Because Powlesland wanted to put “not my king” and that could offend people. Therefore, the agent could arrest him under the law on public order.
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The same slogan, #NotMyKing, went viral on Twitter the next day after a video appeared online showing another protester being taken away by police. In his hands he held a sign with the same text.
Vague state
Clive Stafford Smith, civil rights attorney, tells The Washington Post because people are being taken away. According to him, this happens because police officers are most likely enforcing the Public Order Act of 1986.
This is “an incredibly vague statute that says that anything that could disturb public order is left to the police to decide whether to arrest someone.” Correspondent Anne Saenen confirms that this can lead to difficult situations. “On the one hand, demonstrations are allowed, on the other hand there are restrictions”.
Although the police have adapted their protocols in response to media attention, they still decide what to do in each situation. “For example, you will be less grateful if you start screaming the moment the coffin has just passed.”
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Although the silent protests get a lot of attention via social media, their meetings are small-scale, Saenen says. “They make the queen’s ranks pale.” They are often small groups that stop along the way and from time to time some are arrested.
For example, the police arrested the history teacher Symon Hill. It happened after he shouted “who chose it” as he read the proclamation in Oxford. In a large blog Hill says that the police handcuffed him and did not explain why he was arrested.
‘sick old man’
In Edinburgh on Monday, police arrested a 22-year-old man who called Prince Andrew “a sick old man” as the queen was being carried in front of her coffin. A video shows how two men from the crowd push him to the ground, after which the police pull him away.
Scottish police informed the Washington Post that the protester had been arrested and then “released to appear before the Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court at a later date. ‘
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And that event also provoked many reactions. For example, Daniel Hannan, a member of the House of Lords, expressed his concerns about authoritarian police. “Excluding people for shouting Republican slogans, even if they deliberately do so in a rude and provocative way, is completely anti-British.”
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Loners and small groups protest for various reasons. Saenen explains that generally it is the people who are critical of the royal family and who disagree that Charles inherits the throne without any electoral process. There are also Republicans who want to get rid of the entire monarchy.
In Wales, today’s protests also involved other things, such as dissatisfaction with Charles’s abrupt announcement that William would become Prince of Wales. However, Sayed mainly wanted to radiate solidarity. “It doesn’t matter – workers’ party socialists, independence fighters, anti-colonialists – our protest is for everyone.”
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