Metropolitan police make 64 arrests on Coronation day

The Metropolitan Police said officers made a total of 64 arrests in central London on the King's coronation day (Saturday May 6).

A total of 32 people were arrested for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance and 14 for a breach of the peace. They have since been bailed.

Four people charged with offences including a religiously-aggravated public order offence and possession of class A drugs, according to the force.

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On Saturday, the Met arrested a number of protestors, including chief executive of anti-monarchist campaign group Republic, Graham Smith.

Video footage from the incident showed people in yellow 'not my king' t-shirts being detained. Republic said they were stopped by police while unloading signs near the procession.

The move was labelled 'alarming' by human rights groups - but the Met said officers had acted proportionally under the law.

Speaking to the BBC, Commander Karen Findlay, who ran the day's operations, said: "Protest is lawful and it can be disruptive."

She added that officers have a duty to intervene "when protest becomes criminal and may cause serious disruption".

"This depends on the context," she said. "The Coronation is a once in a generation event and that is a key consideration in our assessment."

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