‘It’s possible to do both’: Police should have let protests go ahead during Coronation, says Sadiq Khan
11 May 2023, 11:09 | Updated: 11 May 2023, 11:36
Police should have let protests go ahead on Coronation Day, Sadiq Khan has said, after the Met expressed "regret" over the arrest of six anti-monarchy protesters in London ahead of the ceremony.
The force detained leader of anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith, and five others on Saturday, seizing items that they believed could be used as lock-on devices.
But the Met has since said a review concluded there was no proof the group of activists were planning to "lock on" - a now regular tactic employed by protestors which has been banned under the law.
The force said in a statement" "This evening all six have had their bail cancelled and no further action will be taken.
"We regret that those six people arrested were unable to join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere on the procession route."
Mr Smith said a Met chief inspector and two other officers met with him to apologise.
Speaking to LBC, Mr Khan said that by and large the police did a fantastic job, but it was right that the Met to say sorry.
Mr Khan rejected the suggestion that exceptional events like the Coronation are treated differently in terms of the way they are policed, saying: "You've got to be able to walk and chew at the same time.
"You've got to be able to at the same time make sure - and that's why it's so complex - make sure that the event goes smoothly, but also enable people to protest.
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"I'd remind your listeners, the right to protest is enshrined in the Human Rights Act, which some politicians want to get rid of, it's Article 10.
"And by the way, protests can sometimes be unpopular, it's not just simply popular things you can protest about.
"And it's really important that you at the same time keep the public safe, make sure there's no public disorder, breach of the peace and so forth, at the same time as allowing people to do what they're allowed to do by law, which is to protest.
He added that he thinks it's "possible to do both", and that clearly mistakes appear to have been made on Saturday.
The police has confirmed that it had utilised the power of the Government's new controversial protest laws to detain the group, the force noted that 52 of the 64 on the day of the Coronation were linked to suspected event disruption.
Asked whether he believed the Public Order Bill, which has given police greater powers to detain protesters, should be scrapped, Mr Khan said: "I think there are some provisions of the latest act that I'm unhappy about.
"Had I been in Parliament, with my colleagues I would have voted against the third reading."
He added that there were some provisions of the act that he believed was worth keeping, such as protecting national infrastructure, but it is still important to recognise that it must still be lawful to protest.
