06 May 2023 , 07:29
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Arrests appear to have been made ahead of the King's coronation.
Footage posted on Twitter seemed to show demonstrators in yellow 'Not My King' t-shirts being arrested by police, with one officer saying: "They are under arrest, end of."
Meanwhile, a royal fan, with a Union Jack flag on his head, has also been filmed being cuffed by police.
Tweets from the Alliance of European Republican Movements appear to show the CEO of campaign group Republic, Graham Smith, having his details being taken and being arrested as part of the police activity.
Republic also tweeted that five other members had been arrested.
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It added: "Hundreds of placards were seized. Is this democracy?"
Things were getting tense as rival groups sing at each other, with a bearded man shouting “he is my King” apparently being detained.
The protesters chanting “Not my King” have been drowned out by the crowd singing the national anthem.
Anti-monarchy protesters are wearing 'Not My King' T-shirts (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Republic activist Luke Whiting, 26, said: "Six Republic members have been arrested including the CEO as the demonstration was starting at the edge of Trafalgar Square.
"It is unclear why, potentially it is because one of them was carrying a megaphone.
"It is unclear exactly whether the police are using these new powers and whether they are misusing them to stop protest happening."
A police chief was earlier overheard telling officers to arrest anyone using a megaphone to protest.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police announced they would have an "extremely low threshold" for protests during the coronation celebrations, and that demonstrators could expect "swift action".
Republicans are currently outnumbered by royal fans.
The campaign group Republic hoped between 1,500 to 2,000 people would gather from 8am but there only appears to be a few dozen.
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The group plans for the protest to be visible when the newly crowned King and Queen Camilla pass through Trafalgar Square on their way from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
A large yellow banner has been unveiled with the words "abolish the monarchy", as well as the badges and T-shirts with the slogan "not my king" were being worn by demonstrators.
Police have reportedly been told to arrest anyone using a megaphone to protest (AP)Hundreds of royal fans were in front of them facing The Mall in a bid to get a prime spot when the royal procession passes.
Many were wearing Union Jack hats or plastic crowns, while a heavy police presence was also present.
On its website, Republic says: "In place of the King we want someone chosen by the people, not running the government but representing the nation independently of our politicians."
The protest will kick in as the King passes through Trafalgar Square (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Smith previously said: “We’ll try and keep the atmosphere light, but our aim is to make it impossible to ignore."
The coronation, he said, is “a celebration of a corrupt institution. And it is a celebration of one man taking a job that he has not earned”.
In a recent study by the National Centre for Social Research, just 29% of respondents thought the monarchy was “very important” – the lowest level in the centre’s 40 years of research on the subject.
Opposition was highest among the young.
“I think it’s definitely shifting,” said Smith, whose group wants to replace the monarch with an elected head of state.
“People are quite happy to criticise Charles in a way they weren’t willing to necessarily in public about the queen.”