Six people from the anti-royalist group Republic were arrested early Saturday as they prepared to protest the coronation. They were released late Saturday night after 16 hours in police custody.
In a statement, the police said that the six were suspected of having planned to disrupt the ceremony, but that no evidence of this could be found.
“We regret that the six people arrested were unable to join the larger group of protesters at Trafalgar Square and other places along the procession route,” the statement said.
Human Rights Watch is critical of the arrests. “It is something you can expect in Moscow, not in London,” writes the human rights organization in a comment.
In total, the London police arrested 64 people during the coronation day.