In a deeply unpredictable turn of events – anticipated by only the most casual students of the Metropolitan police – the force has made another howler. Howlers are the specific category of Met misuse of powers where nobody died, or got sexually assaulted, or both. Nevertheless, they can have serious significance. The anti-monarchy group Republic participated in months of briefings and meetings with the Met concerning their protest at last Saturday’s coronation, in which they were informed that their peaceful plans were lawful. As it turned out on the day, however, six members of the group, including its chief executive Graham Smith, were arrested before the protest even began. According to the Met’s account: “They were held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. We seized lock-on devices.”
And yet … did they? The police seem instead to have seized the luggage straps the protesters used to secure their placards. The force has now expressed “regret” that these arrests took place at all. This lengthy statement adds: “It was not clear at the time that at least one of the group stopped had been engaging with police protest liaison team officers ahead of the event.”
