Dozens of anti-monarchy demonstrators converged on central London on Saturday, demanding the abolition of the British monarchy.
Organised by the pressure group Republic, the protest saw participants march from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace.
Many wore t-shirts and carried placards emblazoned with slogans such as “abolish the monarchy” and “not my King”.
Elizabeth McIntyre, a London-based member of Republic, articulated her objections, stating: “I really object to the class system in this country. I think it creates a hierarchy which is absolutely unacceptable.
“At the top of that hierarchy is an unelected monarchy, which means that from top to bottom there is inequality, and this has to go.”
Graham Smith, leader of Republic, asserted that the movement is gaining momentum, particularly following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mr Smith, 52, said: “We want everybody outside the palace making a statement.
“It is about showing that we are growing and there is a mood change. Twenty years ago this wasn’t happening at all, there is a big change in public mood.
“In 2022 we could not have even thought of doing something like this. It wasn’t on the cards, we didn’t have the staff or the money, and now this is third event we have done.
“We have an impressive list of people coming along, people are seeing us and understanding who we are, and they are listening to what we are saying, and they want to be a part of it.
“The death of the Queen and the coronation completely changed everything for us.
“We suddenly grew, we suddenly went from one member of staff to loads of staff.”
Writer Otto English took to the stage in Trafalgar Square and claimed the local elections showed us democracy is broken.
Mr English said to the crowd: “Democracy is broken, the local elections showed us that. I think all the elections we have had recently have shown us that.
“It is broken to such an extent that it needs fixing and that goes right to the top, and that in a nutshell is why I am a republican.”
Patrick Harvie, former co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, said: “May 9 is Republic day and it is an important moment to come together to celebrate and remember the fact that a great many people in this country do recognise that inherited wealth, power and privilege is wrong.
“Huge numbers of people know that the public deserve the right to choose their own elected head of state. That is what I’ve always believed, it is what the Scottish Greens believe.”
Norman Baker, former Liberal Democrat minister and MP for Lewes, said: “You have this insufferable arrogance that they pay for nothing and expect everything to be given to them by the state or by somebody else.
“A free holiday here from somebody, a helicopter trip there from somebody else – constant and relentless greed.”
