LONDON — Lawyers and free-speech activists are ringing alarm bells after reports emerged in recent days of police detaining, moving and in some cases even arresting protesters at the events marking the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of her eldest son, Charles.
People have been picked up by police as they shouted against the crown, heckled royals marching by and carried anti-monarchists signs — and in one case, a blank sheet of paper. The police crackdown on such protests has raised questions about freedom of speech during this fraught period for the United Kingdom.On Twitter, the hashtag “NotMyKing” — after the slogan featured on the sign of a protester who was led away by police in London in a video Monday — was trending early Tuesday. Lawmakers have called on authorities to respect the rights of those who believe the queen’s death should herald the end of the monarchy.
After Queen Elizabeth’s death, Britain faces questions and uncertainty
“No one should be arrested for just expressing republican views,” said Zarah Sultana, a member of the opposition Labour Party representing Coventry South in Parliament. “Extraordinary — and shocking — that this needs saying.”
Reports of arrests first emerged Sunday, when a document formally proclaiming Charles as king was read aloud in locations across the United Kingdom. In Oxford, Symon Hill, 45, was arrested after he shouted, “Who elected him?” as the proclamation was read. In a blog post describing the incident, Hill claimed police handcuffed him and did not tell him what he was being arrested for. Source
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