The anti-monarchy group Republic has accused the British government of using "scary tactics" against its members in the countdown to King Charles' Coronation on May 6. The Ministry of the Interior has sent letters these days to dozens of its 130,000 affiliates warning of the new and draconian measures in force by the Public Order Law that has received "royal consent" this week.
Police warn that protesters who block roads can be arrested and face up to 12 months in prison. Chaining or sticking "to objects or buildings" can carry sentences of six months in prison. Agents are also empowered to stop and search individuals suspected of causing disruption at public demonstrations.
Graham Smith, director of the Republicc group, has criticized the sending of the letter as "something strange" and as an attempt to "intimidate" its members, who plan to congregate on May 6 in Trafalgar Square with banners of "Not my king" ("Not my king").
"We have been talking to police liaisons for some time to assure them that it will be a peaceful protest and that we will not cause disruption," Smith warned. "His response from him had been positive, but this letter has fallen from heaven. We are trying to get them to guarantee that there will be no changes."
The letters from the Ministry of the Interior have also reached members of the environmental groups Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, known for their actions of "civil disobedience". According to The Daily Mail, the most radical activists have been able to plan actions such as launching attacks against the horses as they pass the parade in the "mall" in London.
"It's very worrying to see the police given new powers to restrict protests just on the eve of a big national event," lamented Jun Pang, a spokesman for the civil rights group Liberty. "The same thing happened when Elizabeth II died, and that led to inappropriate behavior by the police and the violation of the rights of the protesters."
At least four people were arrested in September, in Edinburgh, Oxford and London for displaying "Abolish the Monarchy" signs or shouting "Not my King" at a royal procession. A 23-year-old university student, Patrick Thelwell, was arrested in November and charged with disorderly conduct" for throwing eggs at King Charles and Camilla as they passed through York.
Labor Shami Chabrabarti, a member of the House of Lords, has joined the criticism, saying the new law is so restrictive that police can detain protesters "simply for chaining their arms in public." Other critical voices have lamented the haste with which the measures, which were to initially take effect in June, have been announced.
In an official statement, Secretary of the Interior Suella Braverman defended the entry into force of the new law, alleging that it is "the last step of the Government to prevent protesters from using highly disruptive tactics that prevent people from getting to work or hospitals." . Braverman assured that some of the methods used by the demonstrators amount to "guerrilla tactics" and that they constitute an abuse of "infrastructure, taxpayer money and police time."
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