A royal fan who was wrongly identified as a protester and arrested by law enforcement officials during the Coronation has shared her traumatic experience.
Alice Chambers was placed in handcuffs and detained for a period of 13 hours as police arrested Just Stop Oil protesters whom she coincidentally was standing close to at the Mall.
The architect revealed she was handcuffed, fingerprinted, and interrogated at a police station.
Law enforcement officials have stated they are reassessing the situation and working towards understanding the complete context of the event.
The 36-year-old woman expressed that she endured hours in handcuffs in the rear of a police vehicle, despite her numerous attempts to clarify her position to the police.
“I was just sitting there waiting for the Coronation to begin. Next I realised the police had swooped in and handcuffed a whole heap of people,” Ms. Chambers stated.
“I tried to say anything I could to say I wasn’t part of that group [of protestors] but nothing could said that made a difference.
“I gave them my contact details. I showed them my ID and nothing seemed to be able to be said that made a difference really.”
Ms. Chambers explained that after being in custody for nearly half a day, officers interrogated her: “They asked me, ‘What were you doing on the Mall?’ I explained everything and they looked at each other in shock.”
“It’s just been so shocking, and very emotional. It’s not something you ever expect, to find yourself in a jail cell for a period of time,” she added further.
“Really you would think that this should never happen. Clearly there are processes that need to be put in place, or that weren’t followed.
“No-one should endure an extended period under arrest, just because they’re an innocent bystander.”
Originally from Australia but currently living in London, Ms. Chambers was discharged with no additional action taken, missing the entire Coronation celebration.
She held the Met Police responsible for “finger pointing” as they responded by saying the officer who took her into custody was brought in from Lincolnshire Police.
Ms. Chambers added that the Met “ultimately took over” from the arresting officer and kept her in detention. She has registered a formal complaint.
A representative of the Met stated: “The arresting officer was from Lincolnshire Police and the complaint has therefore been passed to the relevant force to investigate.
“The Met will assist by providing any relevant information they require.”
Chief Inspector Simon Outen from the professional standards department at Lincolnshire Police, said: “We have now received a complaint and we are reviewing the incident, and we are in contact with the complainant to establish the full details of her allegations.”
The policing strategy during the Coronation has been questioned after the Met expressed remorse over the arrest of the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic and five other demonstrators on the morning of the ceremony, even though they had planned a legal protest with the force.
Altogether, 64 individuals were taken into custody in London in relation to the Coronation policing operation.
Law enforcement stated that 52 of these arrests were due to suspicions of potential disruption of the event. So far, charges have been pressed against four individuals.
