Neil O’Brien appears to accuse anti-monarchy protesters of plotting “dangerous” action after the Metropolitan Police expressed “regret” over the weekend arrests of anti-monarchy protesters.
A government minister has accused anti-monarchy protesters of planning “dangerous” disruptions during the coronation, despite the Metropolitan Police professing “regret” for their arrests.
The force encountered backlash after detaining several members of the campaign group Republic over the weekend, and its investigation was unable to establish intent to disrupt the event, according to the results of the investigation.
Despite the Met’s statement, health minister Neil O’Brien appeared to support the arrests, stating that it was “pretty clear that some of the people there were going to cause serious, dangerous, and stupid disruption.”
He told that he had “no objection to peaceful protests” and that “in some instances, [the force] may have been in the wrong.”
However, he also argued that “in some cases, they did the right thing” because it was “also a matter of what [protesters] were going to do.”
The minister continued, “What [the police] must do is prevent people from engaging in potentially extremely dangerous behavior.
“Had someone fallen from a horse and been trampled by all of those horses, they could have perished.”
And the police must weigh this against the fact that you know, it is not always possible to establish that a person is about to commit a terrible act or disrupt an event.
Mr. O’Brien continued, “Mistakes are occasionally made, but they must make a decision based on maintaining public order and preventing people from engaging in potentially dangerous behavior at an important national event.”
“No indication of intent”
Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic and one of eight members of his group who were arrested and detained for several hours, accused the minister of “wild speculation,” claiming that “no intelligence supported the arrests.”
He stated, “There was no evidence of any criminal intent or capacity.”
“There is no indication whatsoever that the eight Republic residents who were detained committed any wrongdoing”.
No motive was present. There was no indication of intent.
“There was no evidence that any equipment that could have caused the crime was carried.”
“We were very clear with the police for four months regarding the details of our plans, and they were very clear with us that they approved of those plans.”
Mr. Smith stated that the group was currently consulting with solicitors to determine its next course of action and that it would continue to protest the monarchy while advocating for an elected head of state.
64 people were arrested on coronation day as a result of new laws introduced by the government to combat demonstrations; 46 of those were later released after being detained on suspicion of causing a public nuisance or disturbing the peace.
Before the latest statement from the force, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had endorsed the Met over the arrests, despite concerns that they were cracking down on dissent on Saturday at the behest of politicians.
Lisa Nandy of the Labour Party stated that the coronation required “a very complex policing operation,” adding, “It is a testament to the individual officers who participated in that event that peaceful protests were able to take place in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere without incident.”
However, she agreed with Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, that “we need answers about how that happened, because the right to protest is an essential part of British democracy and, as the Met acknowledged this morning, it must be protected.”
When asked if Labour would repeal the new law granting police additional powers, she responded, “We are not in the business of repealing all legislation.”
However, when we are in power, we will amend the law to strike a balance between the democratic right to protest and the right of British citizens to go about their daily lives without significant disruption.
