Coronation: Met Police had every intention of arresting protesters - Republic leader

An anti-monarchy protester detained during the Coronation says helium believes the Met had "every intention" of arresting him earlier the event.

Chief enforcement of Republic, Graham Smith, was 1 of 64 radical arrested by the unit successful London connected Saturday.

He said helium was held contempt being successful adjacent speech with the Met "for 4 months" astir the group's plans.

The Met said it had "a work to intervene erstwhile protestation becomes transgression and whitethorn origin superior disruption".

Commander Karen Findlay, who led the Met's policing during the Coronation, said: "Earlier this week we said our tolerance for immoderate disruption, whether done protestation oregon otherwise, volition beryllium debased and that we would woody robustly with anyone intent connected undermining the celebration."

Mr Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme helium had been detained for 16 hours aft being stopped by officers who suspected him and radical members of carrying "lock on" devices to necktie themselves to inanimate objects - a maneuver which was outlawed by the government past week.

He said constabulary had stopped him and chap protesters from unloading their van, past detained and searched them.

"They told america they were going to apprehension america connected suspicion of being equipped to fastener on, which was untrue - determination was thing we had successful our possession that could person allowed america to fastener on. They past took america and held america for 16 hours.

"They besides said they had intelligence, which is untrue. If they did person quality their quality officers are either lying oregon incompetent due to the fact that determination was ne'er immoderate discussion, thought, email, message, thing that suggested immoderate intent to bash thing disruptive."

Mr Smith added that aft months of discussions with the Met astir however they would behaviour their demonstration, the unit had "repeatedly said - close up until Friday - that they had nary concerns astir our protestation plans - they were good alert of what we were going to bash and that they would prosecute with america and not disrupt us".

"So they person repeatedly lied astir their intentions, and I judge that they had each volition of arresting america anterior to doing so."