UK police 'regret' arresting anti-monarchy protesters ahead of coronation

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - London’s Metropolitan Police expressed regret Monday over the detention ahead of King Charles III’s coronation ceremony of protesters who opposed the monarchy.

Six protesters from the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, including its chief executive Graham Smith, were arrested early Saturday in central London.

Police also seized hundreds of signs reading "Not My King."

"This evening, all six have had their bail cancelled and no further action will be taken. We regret that those six people arrested were unable to join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere on the procession route," said the Metropolitan Police in a statement.

It was confirmed that the police used a new and controversial law to arrest the group.

Recently, a new law was introduced that prohibits the possession of equipment that can be used to lock people onto objects with the aim of causing a disturbance.

The Metropolitan Police said that six individuals were detained ahead of the coronation after officers found items in their vehicle that could be used as lock-on devices.

However, the police acknowledged that they were unable to prove that the group intended to use the items for the purpose of disrupting the event.

Following this, Smith announced his intention to take legal action against the police but later stated that he had received a personal apology from police officers.

A chief inspector and two other officers visited Smith's home in Reading on Monday evening to deliver the apology.

Last month, Smith told Anadolu that the monarchy was in "quite a lot of trouble."

He said support for the monarchy had fallen sharply, while support for abolishing it has been on the rise among younger people.

"The monarchy has been reduced from that full balcony of royals and princes and princesses to four people, which is obviously Charles and Camilla, and Kate and William," he said.