Before the coronation of King Charles III, the leader of the UK’s republican campaign group, Graham Smith, had rarely featured beyond the fringes of the media.
But as is often the way when free speech comes under threat, his arrest ahead of Saturday’s ceremony and detention during festivities — along with seven other members of Republic — has propelled Smith into the headlines. The incident has also led to him being invited to speak to MPs in parliament next week about his experience at the hands of police.
“We have gone from being a campaign group that was hardly known about to a household name,” said Smith, adding that paid membership had grown by thousands in a week and crowdfunding had surged.
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