London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025

Police made tough calls on Coronation arrests, says minister

Police made tough calls on Coronation arrests, says minister

The police had to make "tough choices" while handling protests during the Coronation, a minister has said, following criticism over arrests.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the police were right to factor in the scale and global-nature of the event.

MPs, human rights groups and a former chief constable have criticised the police's tactics.

Police said on Sunday that 64 people were arrested during the Coronation.

The Metropolitan Police had previously said 52 arrests were made on Saturday. In its latest update, it said four people had been charged, while another person arrested remains in custody for non-payment of fines.

Fifty-seven people have been released on bail while two others will face no further police action.

Among those held on Saturday was the head of the anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith. He was released after 16 hours in custody and said there was "no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK".

Other concerns have been raised over reports three volunteers with a Westminster-based women's safety programme had been arrested while handing out rape alarms.

The Met said it received intelligence protesters were planning to use rape alarms to disrupt coronation proceedings.

Ms Frazer said the right to protest was "really important" and people should be heard but there had been a recent change in protesters' tactics.

Protesters have been stopping people going about their day-to-day lives, she said, and there was a need to redress that balance.

Officers would have made operational decisions on a case-by-case basis, she said, taking into account the scale of the Coronation celebrations.

"We were on the global stage, there were 200 foreign dignitaries in the UK, in London at an event, millions of people watching and hundreds of thousands of people at the scene," she added.

Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC he was reassured the Met were aware of a gap in public confidence over policing and the force was "explaining and justifying" why they made some of the arrests.

He said Labour would "wait and see" whether the force got the balance right, adding "accountability" over policing decisions was important.

Mr Streeting said if they did not get it right, it was important to "hold your hands up".

The King and Queen went past some protesters on their way to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation ceremony


Metropolitan Police Commander Karen Findlay defended her officers' response, saying they had a duty to intervene "when protest becomes criminal and may cause serious disruption".

She added the Coronation was a "once-in-a-generation event" which was a key consideration in their assessment.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the rain in central London on Saturday, with chants including "down with the Crown", "don't talk to the police" and "get a real job".

But Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said some of the arrests "raise questions" over the Met's actions, adding he has "sought urgent clarity" whilst investigations are ongoing.

Other protests were organised in Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh. No arrests were reported outside London.

While campaigners insisted their protests were peaceful, the police said they had intelligence that groups were "determined to disrupt" the occasion.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey said he was not sure about the exact circumstances of the arrest, and called for more detail from the police.

Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, he criticised the government for "passing legislation to clamp down on protest that breached British traditions of civil liberties".

Several Labour MPs have also been critical of the Met's response. Senior backbencher Sir Chris Bryant said on Twitter that "freedom of speech is the silver thread that runs through a parliamentary constitutional monarchy".

In a statement on Sunday, Republic chief Mr Smith said the arrests had "destroyed whatever trust might have existed between peaceful protesters and the Metropolitan police".

"What is the point in being open and candid with the police, working with their liaison officers and meeting senior commanders, if all their promises and undertakings turn out to be a lie?"

Mr Smith was arrested early on Saturday - before the Coronation began - at a protest in Trafalgar Square.

The Met said it had confiscated "lock-on devices" which protesters can use to secure themselves to things like railings.

It has now become illegal to prepare to lock-on following changes to the law passed this week.

But Matt Turnbull, another member of Republic who was arrested, said the straps were being used to hold the placards and had been "misconstrued" as lock-on devices.

A former police chief has said she is "very disappointed" by the arrest of protesters and strongly criticised the new powers.

Sue Sim, a former chief constable with Northumbria Police and a specialist in public order policing, said she was "very disappointed" by the arrest of protesters and called the new powers "draconian".

"I think when you're talking about terrorism, where people's lives are at risk that's a very different thing. But where you are talking about peaceful protest the whole thing for me is, what type of society do we want? We do not want a totalitarian police state," she told BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend.

Concerns about the police's approach were also raised by Westminster City Council over reports that volunteers with its Night Star women's safety programme had been detained and questioned after being stopped by officers while handing out rape alarms.

Councillor Aicha Less said the authority was working with the Met to establish what happened and was in touch with volunteers to make sure they were being supported.

The Met said it had received intelligence about plans to use rape alarms to disrupt the Coronation procession by scaring military horses, causing "significant risk to the safety of the public and the riders".

The force said three people were arrested in the Soho area of London over suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance.

One man was also further arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. All three have since been released.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the force were "aware of and understand there is public concern over these arrests" and added the matter was still under investigation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
×