Communities that have been targeted by British police for decades say it is disappointing that it took arrests at the coronation to spark a national outcry – but that solidarity against state violence could topple anti-protest laws.
“One of the real frustrations is seeing people saying, ‘protesting is now illegal’, as though repeated crackdowns on protest have not happened for the last 50 years,” Kevin Blowe of police monitoring group Netpol told openDemocracy in the wake of Saturday’s arrests.
Graham Smith, chief exec of the anti-monarchist group Republic, was among 64 protesters who were arrested on Saturday while preparing for protests against the coronation. There was widespread condemnation of officers’ actions and cops have subsequently apologised.
