‘New law restricts one of the few tools working-class people have left at their disposal to push for change’
Saturday was a historic day, and not just for the coronation of King Charles III
Six people from the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic were arrested as they arrived to set up their demonstration in Trafalgar Square – a protest they had been liaising with the Met Police about since January.
Also rounded up and thrown into cells were Animal Rising activists, who were attending a training course in east London, nowhere near the coronation procession.
Members of Just Stop Oil, who were simply holding banners and carrying no equipment that could cause serious disruption, were carried off in cuffs.
The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened.
And, perhaps most shockingly, three volunteers from Westminster Council’s ‘Night Stars’ team were arrested for handing out rape alarms the night before the coronation – an activity entirely consistent with their role of supporting vulnerable women in the West End.
The government has been keen to distance itself from these arrests, with ministers arguing that the Met acts independently and that no one is seeking to undermine the right to protest. But just a week before the coronation, the Conservatives’ new Public Order Act came into effect, giving police greater powers. This legislation is also to blame for these arrests – and it is...
A woman has been jailed for posting a string of lies on social media about her police officer ex-husband, claiming he was a "rapist" and a "baby killer". Jennifer Pritchard, 47, from Tredegar in B...