About 1,600 antimonarchists readying protest on Charles III coronation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 May 18:42

According to estimates, the coronation is expected to cost a staggering 250 million pounds.

Protesters wait for the arrival of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort to visit Liverpool Central Library, and to officially mark the Library's twinning with Ukraine's first public Library, the Regional Scientific Library in Odesa, in Liverpool, Britain Wednesday, April 26, 2023 (Reuters)

Sky News reported on Wednesday, citing one of the organizers for the antimonarchist movement Republic, that at least 1,600 antimonarchists are preparing a protest to be held on the day of Charles III in London.

"We are opposed to the monarchy, and this is a very public display of hereditary privilege and power and needs to be challenged," the CEO of Republic Graham Smith was quoted by Sky News as saying.

The report noted that protesters are planning to follow the coronation route while holding banners and changing antimonarchy slogans such as "Abolish the monarchy" and "Not my king".

"It's also an appalling waste of public money when it's completely unnecessary, so we think this is an opportunity to make clear that we're not a nation of royalists," Smith further told Sky News.

Don't care about the coronation?

Here's why you should. 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/jL4bkdgs2j
— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) May 3, 2023

According to estimates, the coronation is expected to cost a staggering 250 million pounds ($314 million).

Others have estimated that the coronation may cost between 50-100 million pounds of UK taxpayers' money, the Evening Standard reported last month.

The Republic's first rallies were held in January as part of protests against Charles III upcoming coronation. Protesters were seen in early April holding banners reading "Not my king" upon Charles and his wife Camilla's arrival at York Minster.

The coronation is scheduled to be held on May 6. Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on September 8 in Scotland at the age of 96, marking the end of her 70-year-long rule which was the longest ever recorded in the history of the British monarchy.