London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

Arrests of anti-monarchists prompt free-speech concerns

Arrests of anti-monarchists prompt free-speech concerns

The arrests of anti-monarchy protesters after the death of Queen Elizabeth II are "deeply concerning", free-speech campaigners have said.

Police in Scotland have arrested two people in recent days over alleged breaches of the peace, while a man was arrested and de-arrested in Oxford.

The arrests came at events to mark the Queen's death and proclaim King Charles III Britain's new monarch.

Campaigners said the right to protest was fundamental and must be protected.

On Sunday, a 22-year-old woman was charged in connection with a breach of the peace after being arrested during an accession proclamation for the King outside St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

She was later released and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

On the same day, Symon Hill, 45, was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after shouting "Who elected him?" during another accession proclamation in Oxford.

Thames Valley Police said he was later de-arrested and was assisting officers "voluntarily".

On Monday, a 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with a breach of the peace after reportedly heckling Prince Andrew as the royal procession moved along Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

Ruth Smeeth, chief executive of Index on Censorship, said the arrests were "deeply concerning", adding: "We must guard against this event being used, by accident or design, to erode in any way the freedom of expression that citizens of this country enjoy."

Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said police officers had a "duty to protect people's right to protest as much as they have a duty to facilitate people's right to express support, sorrow, or pay their respects".

Jodie Beck, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said it was "very worrying to see the police enforcing their broad powers in such a heavy-handed and punitive way".

"Protest is not a gift from the State, it is a fundamental right," she said.

Huge numbers of people are expected to flock to the capital over the coming week


Also on Monday, a protester holding a sign reading "Not my King" outside parliament ahead of the King's arrival at Westminster Hall was ushered away by police.

The Metropolitan Police said a member of the public had been asked to move from outside the Palace of Westminster "in order to facilitate vehicle access and egress through the gates" but had not been arrested or asked to leave the wider area.

The Met also responded to a video circulating on social media in which an officer is heard asking for the details of a man who had held up a blank piece of paper and expressed an intention to write "Not my King" on it. The officer - who was reportedly from another force brought in to assist the Met - is heard saying the message "may offend people".

A statement from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy reads: "The public absolutely have a right to protest and we have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary policing operation currently in place."

Around 1,500 military personnel will work alongside police and civilian stewards to manage the huge numbers of people expected to flock to London over the next week.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said his force faced a "massive challenge".

"We will have a safe event, but we're going to be putting thousands of officers into this because of the level of security required and the millions of people who want to pay their respects," he said.

The prime minister's spokesman would not comment on individual arrests, but said: "More broadly, obviously, this is a period of national mourning for the majority, the vast, vast majority of the country.

"But the fundamental right to protest remains as a keystone of our democracy."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
×