Coronation protests allowed, security minister Tom Tugendhat says

Anti-monarchy groups volition beryllium allowed to protestation astatine the King's Coronation connected Saturday, information curate Tom Tugendhat has insisted.

However they volition not beryllium permitted to "disrupt others", Mr Tugendhat said.

His comments came aft protestation groups received letters reminding them astir changes to the instrumentality targeting "serious disruption" including attaching themselves to radical oregon infrastructure.

The letter, sent connected 28 April by the Home Office's Police Powers Unit to groups including Republic, said that upon coming into effect connected Wednesday the Public Order Bill would see penalties for "specific transgression offences" including locking-on and interfering with cardinal nationalist infrastructure and processions.

"I would beryllium grateful if you could publicise and guardant this missive to your members who are apt to beryllium affected by these legislative changes," the missive said.

Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, described the missive arsenic "intimidatory" and precise odd".

"We've been liaising intimately with the constabulary astir the protestation for weeks - we've had meetings with them," helium told PA quality agency.

"They've said precise intelligibly that they person nary problems with our plans. I conscionable can't recognize wherefore the Home Office thinks it's due to nonstop a missive similar that, which was anonymous successful presumption of nary person's sanction connected it," helium said, adding that determination are plans for 1,700 radical to protestation successful London's Trafalgar Square connected Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Mr Tugendhat said that anti-monarchy groups person the "liberty that anybody successful the United Kingdom has to protest, what they don't person the liberty to bash is to disrupt others".

He added that the complexity of the information cognition for the Coronation was heightened by the beingness of overseas leaders.

The Public Order Bill includes a punishment of up to six months' imprisonment oregon an unlimited good for "locking on" - which involves individuals attaching themselves to others, objects oregon buildings - portion immoderate enactment which "prevents oregon importantly delays the cognition of cardinal infrastructure" including airports, railways, printing presses and lipid and state infrastructure has a maximum punishment of 12 months successful prisons, an unlimited fine, oregon both.

The Home Office describes them arsenic "sensible and proportionate measures" successful effect to actions by groups specified Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain that person caused "serious disruption".

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