A crackdown on protesters holding "Not my King" and "Abolish the monarchy" signs in the UK has sparked a series of new demonstrations, amid fears freedom of expression is being squashed in the wake of the Queen's death.
As Britons mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and the new King tours his kingdom, some public events and locations have attracted protesters holding pro-republic and anti-monarchy signs.
The non-violent protests became a talking point after police in Edinburgh and Oxford made arrests, and one woman holding a sign was asked to move away from the gates of the Houses of Parliament ahead of the King's arrival.
Now in response, blank banners and white pieces of paper are featuring in new protests as concerns are raised about the behaviour of police and any possible infringing of the basic human right of freedom of expression.
Paul Powlesland was one of those protesters. While holding a blank piece of paper in Parliament Square, he was approached by a police officer and questioned over what he intended to write on it.
"I think our values of free speech and free expression are as precious, if not more precious as the monarchy .. and certainly they've been around longer than this branch of the monarchy," he told the ABC.
In this environment, police are being tested by people like Mr Powlesland, who filmed the interaction with the officer who questioned him.
"I'd seen a video of someone with a sign saying 'Not my King' being moved along and obviously I heard about other protesters who had been arrested or accosted by police and I was really concerned that in this big moment of national mourning that maybe alternative opinions about the monarchy were being a bit squashed by police," he said.
London's Metropolitan Police said the "Not my King" protester was moved on from the parliament fence “in order to facilitate vehicle access and egress through the gates”.
Overnight, Mr Powlesland returned to parliament, but this time with a small group of people who shared his concerns.
"I think we are in a situation in this country now that we have a lot to fight for. People are going hungry. People are going to face an increase ... [in] their bills this winter, and the climate crisis ... and then people can't raise their voice — it's awful," one demonstrator, called Judy, said.
"I'm here in response to how the police have been reacting over the last few days to people peacefully protesting the monarchy, peacefully protesting in this space," said another.
She held a sign that read: "People will freeze this winter".
Arrests made for disturbance of the peace
In Edinburgh on Monday, police arrested a man for heckling Prince Andrew during the procession of the Queen's coffin and the royal family down the Royal Mile.
Police in the city also arrested a woman who held up a handwritten sign saying: "F*** Imperialism. Abolish monarchy".
Local media are reporting she was charged under a 2010 law that covers behaviour "likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm".
Also in the crowd were republican protesters holding up signs saying: "Republic Now" and "Our Republic for a Democratic Future".
They were not arrested by police, according to Reuters.
A day later protesters gathered on the Royal Mile with a blank banner and holding white pieces of paper, symbolising a belief they were unable to express any anti-monarchy views.
"There [have] been people who've just joined, passing by, who've just helped us hold the banner because they agree with it, they think that everyone has a right to be able to express anti-monarchy views. And the fact that we can't right now is quite disturbing," protester Alison said.
When asked about the protests and criticism of police, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said: "This is a period of national mourning for the vast, vast majority of the country, but the fundamental right to protest remains the keystone of our democracy."
Underwriting some of the tension is the fact that the UK recently passed a new crime bill which increases the powers police have to stop protests, including the ability to stop single-person protests.
For protester Alex, those new powers were top of mind.
"The arrests of the last two or three days, just for holding up signs, feels like a really, really scary implementation of that new police power being rolled out," he said.
#NotMyKing campaign
Asked whether he himself had a strong alternative opinion about the monarchy, Mr Powlesland said: "I didn't until this week."
"Like a lot of British people, last week I was vaguely ambivalent ... the Queen had been there all my life, it kind of seemed to work, it was a reassuring presence. But really what I've experienced this week has really turned me into a republican.
"They're saying on the one hand this is a time for respect and national mourning and no protesting allowed, but I think Charles is being quite nakedly political in using this time."
The UK's republican movement had been running a #NotMyKing campaign before the Queen died and had no plans to push the message during the period of mourning, but organisers said they were forced to speak up.
"We had planned not to campaign during this time and wanted to take into account how people were responding, but the very public and immediate accession of Charles to the throne needed a response," said Graham Smith, the chief executive of Republic.
Mr Smith is among those criticising the police approach to protesters over the past few days, saying he believes it amounts to intimidation.
Over the past five days, the outpouring of public support for the royal family across the United Kingdom has been immense.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to queue to see her lying in state until her funeral on Monday, and even at smaller events, thousands have turned out to pay their respects.
But will the royal family's decision to promote Charles as it farewells Elizabeth prove costly?
"A lot of opinion is not necessarily fervently pro or anti the monarchy, [it's] just the way it's always been, but the thing is, this is not the way it's always been now," Mr Powlesland said.
"There's this new man on the throne, he's got a real vibe of a rich man who has had everything done for him his entire life, and I'm not sure the British public are necessarily going to warm to that."
Protester Alex agreed.
"For many people, the Queen was really important to them. I think that grieving process is important," he said.
"But I don't think that means to say that we should then just accept Charles as part of our political system without any kind of process."
