The 6th of May, 2023, marked the monumental day that will forever be remembered as the day of the coronation of King Charles III. While the coronation marked a day steeped in tradition and celebration, an unfortunate  sequence of events has occupied the limelight of the event; the arresting of more than 50 of the 'Not My King' protestors from the pressure group, 'Republic.' 

Prior to the coronation, the London Metropolitan Police informed the public they would have a "low tolerance" for any disruption to the coronation, followed by the Met Police arresting 50 anti-monarchy protestors on the grounds that they were a significant threat to "public safety" and the peace of the people and process of the Coronation. The justification used by the Met Police for these arrests was that they had "reasonable grounds to believe" that the protestors were carrying "lock-on devices," which poses as a direct offence to the new Public Order Act of 2023, which rules that lock-on devices are prohibited to be used at protests.

While Graham Smith, CEO of 'Republic,' claims that the protest he arranged was a peaceful, legal event, and thus aligns with their right to freedom of speech, the Met Police are persistent that the protest disrupted the limitation known as the 'Breach of Peace,' outlining the fact that the protestors were breaching "Conspiracy to cause a public nuisance," and "Being equipped for locking on."

The question at hand is difficult to reach a clear answer to, as in retrospect of the event, it is hard to judge decisions made by both parties in the controversy, yet a question can be raised from this controversy - at what extent are we willing to permit freedom of speech as a society?