A 22-year-old demonstrator who held a banner saying "Fuck imperialism, Abolish the monarchy" during the Accession Proclamation for the new king in Edinburgh has also been charged with breach of the peace.
London, September 15 (RHC)-- A man has been charged for “holding eggs” as Queen Elizabeth’s coffin traveled through Scotland, amid signs that anti-monarchy sentiments are re-emerging in the UK. Media reports said on Tuesday that a 38-year-old man was arrested near Duthie Park in Aberdeen while the queen’s coffin was being driven to Edinburgh from Balmoral on Sunday.
In a statement issued to Metro.co.uk, Police Scotland confirmed that the man, who has been charged with breaching the peace, had now been released pending trial and was due to appear at court on a later date to be confirmed.
The suspect is one of a number of protesters who have been detained by police amid signs of the re-emergence of the anti-monarchy movement triggered by the Thursday death of Queen Elizabeth II and the subsequent accession of her son, Charles, to the throne.
A 22-year-old demonstrator who held a banner saying "Fuck imperialism, Abolish the monarchy" during the Accession Proclamation for the new king in Edinburgh has also been charged with breach of the peace.
Two anti-monarchy protesters who expressed resentment over the proclamation of King Charles III as Queen Elizabeth II’s successor to the throne have been arrested.
In Oxford, a man was arrested on suspicion of a breach of public order, after shouting “who elected him?” referring to King Charles III.
Another man, who heckled Prince Andrew in a procession along the Royal Mile in the Scottish capital, also faces the same charge, police confirmed earlier this week.
The British advocacy group Liberty, on Monday, expressed “deep concern” about the police crackdown on anti-monarchy protesters. Jodie Beck, a policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said the unlawful arrests showed the corrosion of freedom of speech in the country.
“Whoever you are, whatever your cause, it is vital you are able to stand up for what you believe in without facing the risk of criminalization,” she said. “It is very worrying to see the police enforcing their broad powers in such a heavy-handed and punitive way to clamp down on free speech and expression.”
Meanwhile, anti-monarchy activists gathered on Tuesday in front of the Edinburgh cathedral, holding up a blank banner as well as blank sheets of paper in support of “their right to protest.”
Also, several British lawmakers raised concerns about the police arrests, saying such behavior was in contradiction to the right to free speech. “It is not for me to interfere in the judicial process. However, with the accession of our new monarch, I would hope that the police will continue to respect the right to free speech,” Conservative MP David Davis wrote in a tweet addressed to Scotland’s chief constable Sir Iain Livingstone.
“[R]epublicans have as much right to voice their opinions as anyone else,” the lawmaker added in a separate tweet.
Scottish MP Joanna Cherry has also raised concerns about the arrests, saying: “The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy & should be facilitated.”
