THE Met Police has been slammed for applying "draconian restrictions" on an anti-monarchy protest.
Campaign group Republic is due to hold a demonstration at the Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday.
But the Met has forced activists to stay away from the fence line and has threatened to enforce Royal Parks regulations to stop protests outside Buckingham Palace.
Republic say they have been told by Commander Claire Smart there is a risk to property and personal safety despite having peacefully protested at the event before without incident.
CEO Graham Smith described the move as a "clear abuse of power" from the Met.
He said: “Claire Smart should be ashamed of herself.
"This is a clear abuse of power aimed at keeping legitimate opposition away from the royals.
“The royals are embroiled in scandal and accusations of corruption. The Met Police are implicated in questions about who knew what and when about [former prince] Andrew. Yet still the police step in to protect the royals."
Smith said Republic took steps to make the police aware of protest plans in a bid to allay any concerns officers had.
"They responded by forcing us to protest back away from the fence line and away from the subject of our protest," he went on.
“The protest will go ahead. We will be taking legal advice about how to proceed so we can stop the police from arbitrarily blocking legitimate protest.”
The Met has been approached for comment by The National.
The event marks the official birthday of King Charles and involves an elaborate display of pomp and pageantry featuring 1500 army personnel and 200 military horses. It concludes with a balcony appearance from the royal family.
While Charles's actual birthday is November 14, the official ceremony to mark the sovereign's birthday is always held in June.
According to original details of the protest, Republic campaigners are planning to gather from 8.30am on The Mall where they will protest on the Green Park side. King Charles is expected to pass the location at around 11am.
Activists are then planning to protest right outside the palace at 1pm for the balcony appearance.
