Police right to arrest coronation protesters as UK on global stage, says minister

Culture secretary defends Scotland Yard’s ‘heavy-handed’ response to peaceful protests after 52 arrested

A minister has defended the controversial arrests of peaceful protesters at King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, claiming police were right to act as “we were on the global stage”.

After six members of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic were arrested at about 7.30am – before their protest had even begun – and placards seized, Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I think they were quite right to take into account the context of the event as a whole.”