An Australian royal superfan says she was arrested and held in a cell for 13 hours in the course of the coronation after police mistook her for a Just Stop Oil protester.
Alice Chambers, 36, instructed the I Newspaper she was alone on The Mall in Central London on Saturday eagerly awaiting a glimpse of King Charles III when she was all of a sudden handcuffed by Metropolitan Police officers.
The architect, who has lived in London for seven years, mentioned she had no concept she was sitting beside the group as a result of that they had not began protesting.
She was amongst round a dozen individuals arrested on suspicion of “potential to cause a breach of the peace” at round 9am.
“I was just sitting on my little stool and I noticed there was some yelling and then some police swooped in and were pushing the crowd back,” she instructed the newspaper.
“I must have been right on the edge of that, I went to get up and two police officers just grabbed me and handcuffed me. I don’t think they said anything, I think they arrested me before they asked a question.
“I feel like once I was in the system they didn’t listen, I tried to explain that I wasn’t part of the group.”
Ms Chambers mentioned in the course of the 13-hour ordeal she was repeatedly questioned, bodily searched and had her DNA, fingerprints and mugshot taken.
It wasn’t till she was interviewed by two senior officers at 7pm that police acknowledged their mistake — however it was nonetheless one other two-and-a-half hours earlier than she was in a position to go away Wandsworth police station at 10pm.
“I think the only question they asked me was, ‘Why were you on The Mall?’” she mentioned.
“I explained the whole thing, how I went down there at 7am to get a good spot, how I went one way and it was blocked and I ended up walking back to where there seemed to be some space.
“They looked at each other and then they asked, ‘Have you ever heard of Just Stop Oil?’ I said, ‘Up until today no.’ They said, ‘We have no further questions and we’re really sorry you’ve been caught up in this.’
“That was the point I started crying and got emotional — that was the first time anyone had been able to listen to my side of the story.
“I asked them, ‘Was there anything I could have done that would have meant I didn’t end up here?’”
London’s Metropolitan Police has confronted criticism over the arrest of 64 individuals across the coronation utilizing new anti-protest legal guidelines meant to crack down on disruptive actions by environmental teams together with Just Stop Oil.
Police had been extensively criticised for detaining six members of antimonarchy group Republic early on Saturday, together with its chief government Graham Smith.
The Met expressed “regret” late on Monday that the demonstrators had been unable to hitch the protest as deliberate and revealed they’d not face any additional motion.
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the power, arguing that arresting officers had been “vigilant, curious and proactive” and had shaped the “reasonable suspicion” that the group was planning disruption.
“While it is unfortunate that the six people affected by this were unable to join the hundreds of peaceful protesters, I support the officers’ actions in this unique, fast-moving operational context,” he mentioned.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday backed police, insisting officers act independently of presidency primarily based on “what they think is best” after claims they had been cracking down on the behest of politicians.
Mr Sunak mentioned the nation’s police forces had been “operationally independent”.
“They [the Met] make the decisions on the ground in the way that they see fit,” Mr Sunak instructed broadcasters. “That’s the way that we’ve always done it. That’s the right way to do it. It wouldn’t be right for me to interfere with their operational decisions.”
Ms Chambers mentioned she had filed a grievance with the Met and the Independent Office for Police Conduct over her remedy.
“I understand why the police were on the edge, they did have a tough job that day,” she instructed I Newspaper.
“But they need to have better processes and better training in place because innocent people shouldn’t be getting locked up for that long. I just want to do as much as I can to get the message out there so it doesn’t happen to other people.”
A Met spokesman mentioned, “We are aware that a woman was arrested in relation to a protest on May 6, 2023.
“The arresting officer was from Lincolnshire Police and the complaint has therefore been passed to the relevant force to investigate. The Met will assist by providing any relevant information they require.”
Prior to the coronation, London’s police power mentioned it has greater than 11,500 officers on responsibility for Operation Golden Orb, making it “one of the most significant and largest security operations the Met has led”.
“Our tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low,” police mentioned in a press release. “We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration.”
Under the brand new protest legal guidelines which got here into impact final Wednesday, protesters who intervene with “key national infrastructure” resembling by blocking roads or railways might withstand a yr behind bars.
frank.chung@news.com.au
— with AFP
Source: www.news.com.au
