The Metropolitan Police have shared a statement confirming they've arrested protestors for "breaching the peace" on the day of King Charles III's coronation. Images have circulated of protest groups holding banners with slogans including 'not my King', 'abolish the monarchy' and another made reference to Virginia Giuffre (the woman who accused Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, of sexually assaulting her as a minor – something he has strongly denied on numerous occasions).
Another sign simply read: 'Don't you think this is all a bit silly?'.
"A significant police operation is under way in central London," the Met said in a tweet. "We have made a number of arrests in the area of Carlton House Terrace. The individuals have been held on suspicion of breaching the peace."
A follow-up tweet added that four people were also arrested around St Martin's Lane and were "held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance [...] we seized lock-on devices".
Three more people were arrested in the Wellington Arch area and held on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage.
Graham Smith, the head of Republic, an anti-monarchist group, is amongst those arrested in London today. It's reported he was approached by police whilst collecting placards on The Strand.
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Republic's director, Harry Stratton, later told press, "They were collecting the placards and bringing them over when the police stopped them. The guys asked why and they were told 'we will tell you that once we have searched the vehicle'. That's when they arrested the six organisers.
"We asked on what grounds they had been arrested but they wouldn't say. It is a surprise as we had had a number of meetings with the police. They had been making all the right noises."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
