Royal family hijacked VE Day anniversary, says republican protest organiser
The head of a republican movement has claimed the royal family 'hijacked' VE Day anniversary celebrations as protesters campaigned in central London.
Several hundred people gathered in Trafalgar Square on Saturday for the demonstration, organised by anti-monarchy group Republic, to mark two years since the King's coronation.
Large yellow banners were hung in front of the National Gallery that read 'Abolish the monarchy' and 'Change country for good', while protesters also held yellow flags that said 'Down with the crown'.
The demonstration included a 15ft dinosaur called Chuck the Rex that represents the monarchy as 'a tamed fossil that belongs in a museum', organisers said.
Separate republican protests were also due to take place in Edinburgh and Cardiff on Saturday.
It comes after Charles and the royal family attended a busy week of public engagements marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, including a military procession and flypast over Buckingham Palace on Monday.
Graham Smith, Republic's chief executive, told the crowd at the protest that the monarchy was 'a corrupt, disreputable and grubby institution' and called for 'a parliamentary republic where citizenship really means something (and) where we are genuinely equal'.
He said the movement's goal was to abolish the monarchy 'in the next few decades'.
Asked about the royal family's role in the commemorative VE Day events, Mr Smith told the PA news agency: 'The royals certainly hijacked those celebrations.
'They are not a celebration of the royals but if you watched some of the coverage, it was.
'The war was a collective effort and we should be reflecting on the people that made those sacrifices at the time and went through it, not gawping at princes on balconies and worrying about who they're having tea with.'
Mr Smith and other Republic members were arrested for taking part in a pre-agreed protest on the King's coronation on May 6 2023, and were later told no further action would be taken.
The group held up banners and chanted 'not my King, not my King' when Charles and other royal family members joined a service at Westminster Abbey celebrating Commonwealth Day in March.
Mr Smith said Republic would continue to protest at every major royal event, including at the Trooping the Colour next month.
Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, who was MP for Lewes from 1997 to 2015, told the crowd: 'You don't have to be a republican to find unacceptable the huge handouts, the unique tax exemptions and all the tricks and ways that they used to inflate further their bulging bank accounts at our public expense.
'It's time for all of us, republicans and supporters of the monarchy, to say enough is enough and call time on this greedy family.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Police Scotland ‘dithering' over trans strip search guidance
Police Scotland has been accused of 'dithering' over adopting a 'common sense' policy that sees suspects searched by officers of the same sex. Following the Supreme Court ruling that 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 is defined as 'biological sex, not gender identity', the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) issued clear guidance on how to conduct body searches. In cases that involve a transgender person, the new guidance states that they should be searched by a police officer of the same biological sex and not their self-identified gender. Scotland's national force, however, has yet to adopt the policy. It said it is being considered and advice has been sought from an independent human rights adviser. Tess White, the Scottish Conservative shadow minister for equalities, said the way the force was dragging its feet over implementing the policy was 'troubling'. 'Basic common sense' Calling on the SNP Government to ensure that all public bodies, including Police Scotland, follow the law, she added: 'It's basic common sense that a body search of a suspect ought to be carried out by an officer of the same biological sex and, given the unequivocal ruling of the Supreme Court in April, this issue shouldn't be up for debate. 'The Supreme Court ruling was very clear and the public will expect the police to be among the very first to uphold it.' The NPCC, which brings together police leaders to set direction for policing across the country, circulated updated guidance to every force in the country last month. It followed a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court which came about after the Scottish Government included transgender women in quotas to ensure gender balance on public sector boards. Campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS) argued that sex-based protections should only apply to people born female. The NPCC said its guidance is based on 'legal advice' and has been developed after seeking views across policing as well as those of other agencies. 'It reflects working practice which already happens every day across policing, where officers and detainees make requests about searches for a multitude of reasons,' the organisation stated. 'It makes clear that thorough police searches, such as those which expose intimate body parts, should be carried out by police officers and staff of the same biological sex as the detained person.' The guidance also states that a trans person who requests that a search be conducted by an officer of their stated gender may be considered. According to the guidance, it is 'explicit' that any search not conducted in line with biological sex must have the 'written consent of the detainee, the officer carrying out the search as well as the authorising officer'. Review is 'complex' Catriona Paton, Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable, said an ongoing review into sex and gender was 'complex, sensitive work, and the wellbeing of our people and communities is a priority'. 'We are operating within a dynamic and evolving landscape and it is critical that we take time to consider all the views, legislation, guidance and legal advice to ensure our proposals are well-informed and evidence-based,' she added. The force has been criticised for embracing gender self-identification and faced a backlash for allowing rapists to 'self-declare' their gender identity. A spokesman for FWS said: 'Like many public bodies, the police were quick to dance to the tune of trans lobbyists, going far beyond the law and adopting policies of self-ID. 'Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that equality law refers to biological sex, they are dragging their heels. The police, of all bodies, should follow the law – it really isn't complicated.' Kenny MacAskill, the former Alba Party leader and former Scottish justice secretary, called on Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority to act quickly to end the current practice of female officers conducting body searches of biological men who self-identify as women. 'Officers have to carry out stop and searches, but it is preposterous to expect a female police officer to carry out a body search of an obviously male person self-identifying as female,' he said. 'The Supreme Court [ruling] should be the clarion call for an end to the idiocy.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Police told to stop asking for more cash to fight crime and 'do their bit' to repair the economy by Labour minister ahead of Spending Review
Police chiefs demanding more money must make do and 'do their bit' to help repair the economy, a senior minister said today ahead of a spending review in which the NHS and schools are expected to be the winners. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle declined to rule out the prospect of a real-terms squeeze on areas such as policing this week. He used a round of interviews today to say that 'every part of our society is struggling' and police were competing with various other sectors who have Chancellor Rachel Reeves for more money. Reports suggest that the Home Office is one of the departments that will face spending restrains when she sets out her plans in the Commons on Wednesday. Last week, in a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, warned that cuts to police budgets will have 'far-reaching consequences'. Mr Kyle acknowledged that the police were after more money, but speaking on the BBC 's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme he said: 'We also have letters from the universities, we have letters from doctors about the health service, we have letters from campaigners for child poverty writing to us, and other aspects of challenges in Britain at the moment. 'Every part of our society is struggling because of the inheritance that we had as a country and as a Government.' He added: 'We expect the police to start embracing the change they need to do, to do their bit for change as well. We are doing our bit.' But shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the policing budget should be protected using deeper cuts to welfare spending. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle used a round of interviews today to say that 'every part of our society is struggling' and police were competing with various other sectors 'I'm very concerned that police numbers may fall already this current financial year, so before this spending review, we are seeing police numbers falling,' he said. 'Sir Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of the Met, is going to have to shrink the Met's workforce by 1,700, of which 1,500 will be police officers. So we're going to have less police in London, and the same story is going to play out across the country. 'And it looks like, from the reporting, that there are going to be problems in the three years after that as well, with the likelihood of police numbers under Labour going down, whereas in government when I was police minister this time last year, we actually hit record ever numbers of police, but Labour are putting that at risk.' And Lib Dem Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper added said: 'There's already an epidemic of unsolved crime across the country, so its beggars belief that the Government won't rule out cutting vital police funding. 'They must keep their promises on neighbourhood policing and listen to our senior officers by ruling out any real-term cuts to the policing budget. It's the least our local communities deserve.' Mr Kyle pointed to the £1.1 billion extra funding already earmarked for police this year, warning that public services would be expected to 'do their bit' alongside Government as he defended Ms Reeves' stewardship of the country's finances. 'You see a Chancellor that is striving to get investment to the key parts of our country that needs it the most… You will see the priorities of this Government reflected in the spending review, which sets the departmental spending into the long term,' he told the BBC. 'But this is a partnership. Yes, the Treasury needs to find more money for those key priorities, but the people delivering them need to do their bit as well.' The Department of Health is set to be the biggest winner in Ms Reeves' spending review on Wednesday, with the NHS receiving a boost of up to £30 billion at the expense of other public services. Economists have said the expected 2.8 per cent annual increase in its day-to-day budget, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other departments squeezed. Day-to-day funding for schools is expected increase by an extra £4.5 billion by 2028-9 compared with the 2025-6 core budget, which was published in the spring statement. In an interview with the Observer, the Chancellor said: 'I want young people to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, wherever they are from, whatever their background.' Speaking on Sunday, Mr Kyle said the schools system, along with an £86 billion funding package for research and development, would be top priorities as the Government seeks to 'invest in the future.' 'You will see in this spending review that we are investing the most we've ever spent per pupil in our school system,' he told Sky News. Mr Kyle said Labour was 'absolutely laser-focused' on delivering manifesto pledges amid questions about how competing commitments will be balanced with little room for manoeuvre amid narrow fiscal headroom. Asked about the Government's plan to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the Parliament, the minister declined to guarantee Housing Secretary Angela Rayner's department would not face cuts. But he added: 'We made a manifesto commitment. We are absolutely laser-focused on delivering that.' He said the Government was also 'on the way' to delivering 13,000 new police officers, another manifesto pledge. Ms Reeves has acknowledged that she has been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She blamed the former Conservative government's economic record rather than her self-imposed fiscal rules, which include a promise to match day-to-day spending with revenues.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
UK finance minister Reeves to meet China's vice premier on London trip
LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - British finance minister Rachel Reeves will hold a meeting with Chinese vice premier He Lifeng during his visit to Britain this week for trade talks with the United States, a British government source said on Sunday. China's foreign ministry said He would be in Britain between June 8 and June 13 when there will be talks in London with three of U.S. President Donald Trump's top aides to try to resolve a trade dispute between the world's two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge. The British government source said Reeves would host He for a bilateral meeting during the trip, although there were no details on when the talks would be held. The British finance minister met He during a visit to China in January, part of British attempts to improve ties with Beijing, one of the main policy goals of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government. However, many British lawmakers remain sceptical of China amid regular accusations of espionage by spies working for Beijing, and plans for a new large Chinese embassy in London remains a divisive subject, with the opposition Conservative Party saying it must be blocked. The Chinese government wants to build the embassy at Royal Mint Court, a historic site near the Tower of London, which would be its largest in Europe but its requests for planning permission have been rejected by the local council, and the government will make a final decision. The Sunday Times reported that a senior U.S. official had said Washington was "deeply concerned" about the plans, due to its proximity to London's financial hubs and three significant data centres, and approval could impact UK-U.S. trade talks. "These (security) issues will be taken care of assiduously in the planning process," British technology minister Peter Kyle told Sky News on Sunday.
