'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England
London, September 11 (RHC)-- Calls for an end to the British monarchy are gaining momentum following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch. The Republic, one of the supporters of the sentiment and the main anti-monarchy group, wants to see the monarchy abolished and the Queen replaced with an elected, democratic head of state.
After the death of the Queen, the group has emphasized that now is the right time to take action and end monarchy. “As we approach the end of the Queen's reign the country needs an honest, grown-up debate about the monarchy. We need to stop and ask ourselves: Can't we just choose our next head of state?” reads the website of the group.
On social media, the Republic backed the hashtags #AbolishTheMonarchy and #NotMyKing which have been trending as a variety of content is being produced to keep the movement going on. However, the group says it doesn’t wish to cause offense amid the emotional atmosphere, but they instead want to invite people to speak up and not be silently terrified.
“People still have every right to say whatever they think – they shouldn’t feel cowed. But there is a lot of concern, particularly on social media, about being censored or saying the wrong thing,” said Graham Smith, spokesperson for Republic. As a public office, they claim that they have the right to speak up against monarchy.
“Obviously people will be careful not to cause offence, but this is also a public office that needs to be debated,” explained Smith. The group says that they saw a rise in the support to their cause, immediately after the announcement of the Queen’s death.
This sentiment has not only been observed in Britain, but in the common wealth countries as well. In Canada, where the new King Charles III has been proclaimed the new head of state, some believe it’s the right time to break ties with the Crown. “I think it is the time for the monarchy to go away,” said Parmod Chhabra, the president of the India Canada Association, recalling atrocities committed against Indians when the British Empire ruled that country.
According to a poll in Quebec, at least 61% of Quebecers think it's a "good idea" to abolish the monarchy in the province. The English monarchy has been criticized throughout history for its long reigning atrocities and unimaginable tyranny over other nations and towards indigenous people.
Last month in Australia, indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe initially called the Queen a colonizer during her oath ceremony after which she was asked to redo her oath. “I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonizing her majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she said.
