Anti-monarchy protests in the UK, riots
Hundreds of people have been taking to the streets across the UK for the past few days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Some to mourn, others to protest. Anti-monarchy protests have been raging in various parts of the country since the Queen's death and her eldest son Charles's ascension.
At the same time, the campaign titled 'Not My King' is running on social media, denying the monarchy and the new king, King Charles. However, the country's police are arresting people for protesting against the monarchy. Several people have already been arrested.
At least one of them was handcuffed after the arrest. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the freedom of expression in the country over the police's treatment of protesters.
British Monarchy is one of the oldest monarchies in the world. Age is about 1 thousand years. History says that in 1066, William the Conqueror conquered England and declared himself as the sole king.
He abolished the small monarchies of England and created a single monarchy. Since then, this monarchy has had a total of 61 kings or queens.
In today's world, the influence and prestige of royal families is not what it used to be. In some countries, royal families have disappeared altogether. In most countries they are placed in a place of honor. Much of the power has gone into the hands of the people. Some royal families are struggling to survive.
From this point of view, the British royal family is in a very advantageous position. At one time half of the world was under the British monarchy. It was then called 'Great Britain'. But with the passage of time, the scope of the British Empire has become smaller. Britain, made up of three kingdoms, is now known as the United Kingdom.
Monarchy is now only symbolic in a country run by a democratic system. The power of the royal family is constitutionally limited. However, there is still great interest among the people of the country about the royal family. On the contrary, the number of anti-monarchy people is not less.
Queen Elizabeth II died last week (September 8), ending a reign of nearly 70 years. Upon his death, his eldest son, Charles, automatically became king. The queen has not yet been buried. The funeral will be held on September 19.
Along with the British people, people around the world are mourning the Queen's death. But at the same time, anger and passion against the British monarchy is also increasing. As a result of this, there have been protests across the UK for the past few days. Hundreds of people are participating in the protest. But in these anti-monarchy protests, the police are wielding swords.
Police in Scotland have arrested at least two people over the past few days for anti-monarchy protests and placard displays. Apart from this, a man was also arrested by the police in Oxford, but he was later released.
As Queen Elizabeth's body was brought from Scotland to London on Tuesday (September 13), thousands of her fans lined the streets for hours with flowers in hand. At this time, many people were standing with anti-monarchy placards.
A protester holds a placard reading 'Not My King' outside the Houses of Parliament in London. "Not My King" is now the main slogan of anti-monarchy. On social media including Twitter, anti-monarchists are posting thousands of posts with the hashtag 'Not My King'.
A 22-year-old man was arrested on Monday (September 12) for questioning Prince Andrew during the royal procession on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Earlier on Saturday, a 22-year-old woman was detained by police during an anti-monarchy protest outside St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh when Charles was proclaimed king. He was charged with disturbing the peace.
On the same day, police arrested a 45-year-old man named Simon Hill for disorderly conduct. At another event in Oxford, he was arrested for chanting 'Who Elected Him King' to Charles III. Human rights activists have expressed deep concern about the freedom of expression due to the detention of protesters one after another.
Ruth Smith, chief executive of the local human rights organization Index of Censorship, said the detention of anti-monarchists is very worrying.
So that the citizens of this country can enjoy the freedom of expression, these events, whether planned or unintended, should be avoided.
Britain's Labor Party MP Zarah Sultana said that no one should be arrested for expressing an opinion.
