[imagesource: Sky News]
The 10 days of mourning Queen Elizabeth II’s passing are now in full swing.
Yesterday, the Queen’s coffin was taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where it will rest until today.
During that procession, where thousands lined the streets to (mostly) pay their respects, all of the Queen’s children, including King Charles III, walked behind her coffin.
That obviously includes Prince Andrew, who has been accused of multiple sexual assaults against underage girls and settled out of court with Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The Duke of York, who was stripped of his royal titles and shunned by pretty much everyone other than his mother after that settlement, was on the receiving end of some heckling as the Queen’s cortege went up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
Keep an eye on the top right-hand corner of the video and you’ll see the man who shouted “Andrew, you’re a sick old man”:
At least Prince Andrew will always have the corgis.
In the final few seconds of this clip, you’ll see the heckler being yanked backwards:
Absolutely crying at this lad hurling abuse at Prince Andrew
(wait till the end) pic.twitter.com/v40oiEpyui
— Mike (@MichaelG31) September 12, 2022
He was very quickly forcibly removed by police and detained:
Prince Andrew heckled as the Queen’s coffin passes pic.twitter.com/85m9jUgszF
— Christopher Marshall (@chrismarshll) September 12, 2022
Afterwards, he briefly explained why he had chosen to point out the extensive allegations made against Prince Andrew:
Spoke to the protestor who was arrested on the Royal Mile today for shouting abuse at Prince Andrew during the Queen’s procession – his name is Rory, here’s what he had to say: pic.twitter.com/8GTwnVGLF7
— Joseph Anderson (@janderson_news) September 12, 2022
Rory wasn’t the only person who chose to protest against the monarchy and he wasn’t the only person detained.
Here’s the BBC:
Police in Scotland have arrested two people in recent days over alleged breaches of the peace, while a man was arrested and de-arrested in Oxford…
On Sunday, a 22-year-old woman was charged in connection with a breach of the peace after being arrested during an accession proclamation for the King outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
She was later released and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date…
Ruth Smeeth, chief executive of Index on Censorship, said the arrests were “deeply concerning”, adding: “We must guard against this event being used, by accident or design, to erode in any way the freedom of expression that citizens of this country enjoy.”
One man was arrested after he shouted “who elected him?” at Oxford’s county proclamation ceremony of King Charles III.
This woman was ushered away by police for choosing to hold a sign:
A protester with a ‘NOT MY KING’ sign near Westminster was led away by London Met police officers as King Charles III arrived to address Parliament for the first time as monarch pic.twitter.com/fv4vqM4YkR
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 12, 2022
An incident involving barrister Paul Powlesland has also been widely shared and sparked debate.
Just went to Parliament Square & held up a blank piece of paper. Officer came & asked for my details. He confirmed that if I wrote “Not My King” on it, he would arrest me under the Public Order Act because someone might be offended.
— Paul Powlesland (@paulpowlesland) September 12, 2022
— Paul Powlesland (@paulpowlesland) September 12, 2022
In response, the Met issued a statement via Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy:
“The public absolutely have a right to protest and we have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary policing operation currently in place.”
Sure, but then why have there been at least four people arrested thus far?
It’s clear that while many around the world mourn the passing of a woman who ‘gave 70 years of service’, there are countless others who choose not to celebrate the monarchy at all.
Tweets like this have gained massive traction:
UPDATE: UK police confirmed at least 4 people arrested for protesting the monarchy and King Charles:
1 man in Oxford who shouted: “Who elected him?”
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 12, 2022
Mourn if you want to mourn – that’s your right.
But forcing the entire United Kingdom to do so, and shutting down any dissent, isn’t a great look.
[source:bbc]
