Written by Reem Abdel Hamid
Friday, May 12, 2023 11:45 AM
The Guardian newspaper said that the British police had to apologize to a fan of the royal family after she was arrested and detained for 13 hours for standing near an environmental group calling for an end to oil, during the coronation celebrations of King Charles.
The newspaper pointed out that Alice Chambers, an Australian engineer residing in London, was waiting in the “Mall” road in central London alone to watch the king on his way to Westminster Abbey, when she was handcuffed and arrested by police officers.
In scenes broadcast by Sky, Chambers was told she was being arrested on suspicion of possible breach of the peace. According to Chambers, she didn’t even know who the protesters were at the time.
Speaking to Sky News, Chambers said there was a huge uproar with several police officers swooping in and starting to arrest Just Stop the Oil protesters before they could protest.
--Before she could get up, two officers came and grabbed her, handcuffed her and took her away.
She said that when she was arrested, she repeatedly tried to explain to the police that she had no connection to the protesters, and provided her personal details, but she was held for 13 hours.
Chambers added that she was only released without further action, after 13 years of questioning and detention, and the realization by police that she was a regular bystander. She said the police later apologized to her for the misunderstanding.
Chambers called for an investigation into the conduct of the police on this day, and said it was very shocking and very emotional, and not something you would expect at all to find yourself in a prison cell for a period of time.
However, a Scotland Yard spokesman said they were aware of the arrest of a woman in connection with a protest on 6 May. And that the officer who arrested her was from Lincolnshire Police, and the complaint was passed to the competent force to investigate the matter.
