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    Re: Arrest of UK anti-royal protesters raises free speech concerns Archived Message

    Posted by Gerard on September 14, 2022, 11:21 am, in reply to "Arrest of UK anti-royal protesters raises free speech concerns"

    "The civil rights group Liberty said it was “very worrying to see the police enforcing their broad powers in such a heavy-handed and punitive way to clamp down on free speech and expression.”

    Republic, a group that campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, said it would be complaining to police “in the strongest possible terms,” and would organise protests at the king’s coronation in the coming months.

    “Free speech is fundamental to any democracy,” said spokesman Graham Smith. “At a time when the media is saturated with fawning over a king appointed without discussion or consent, it is even more important.”

    The arrests come after the government passed a contentious law-and-order bill that toughened police powers to limit disruptive protests. It is not clear whether any of the arrests involved the new law.

    Prime Minister Liz Truss’s spokesman, Max Blain, said that while “this is a period of national mourning, and indeed grief, for the vast majority of the United Kingdom … the right to protest does remain a fundamental principle.”

    But he said it is “for the police to decide what is appropriate in individual circumstances”.

    London’s Metropolitan Police force said that “the overwhelming majority of interactions between officers and public at this time have been positive.”

    “The public absolutely have a right of protest and we have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary policing operation currently in place,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy."

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