Anti-monarchy protesters holding up “Not My King” signs have hit the streets of London to express their views of King Charles amid the Commonwealth Day ceremony.
Members of the activist group Republic congregated outside Westminster Abbey, waiting for Charles to deliver his message from the abbey’s Great Pulpit, according to the Daily Mail.
The activist group has charged its efforts with accusing Charles as “just a bloke in a suit who’s spending lots of our money.”
Graham Smith, the group’s Chief Executive, suggested that Charles needs to be criticized like any other politician. When he was questioned why Charles appears to have received more criticism than the late Queen Elizabeth, he conceded: “The Queen enjoyed deference and it put people off criticizing her directly. We were aware heckling her wouldn’t go down well.”
Smith apparently told the Daily Mail that Charles is much different than Elizabeth, adding that “[h]e just inherited the throne and inheritance is an issue."
“We think now is the right moment for us to push our message. We did protest the Queen, such as at the 2012 Jubilee.”
“But everything has changed, it's a very different monarchy. This has changed the nature of the campaign.”
The group does not believe public office should be inherited, noting that the current process goes against democratic principles. As a result, they want to see the monarchy abolished.
Instead, they would like to see a head of state that is chosen by the people and keeps politicians in check, according to the report.
Smith continued: “If you think politicians are fair game for heckling and protests, you should see Charles in the same way. The Queen felt like the real deal. Charles is just a bloke in a suit who's spending lots of our money.”
“He should be treated like a politician. Heads of state should be fair game for criticism.”
Despite the activist group’s efforts, Charles is now the head of the Commonwealth after Elizabeth lobbied for him to take over the monarchy.
