Four protesters have been arrested in Edinburgh in relation to breaches of the peace during royal processions following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The first arrest occurred on Sunday 11 September at the ceremony of the proclamation of the Prince Charles as the new King.
As crowds gathered, a 22 year old student of the University of Edinburgh held up a sign reading “f*** imperialism, abolish monarchy.”
The protester was arrested and a police spokesperson said this arrest was in connection with a breach of the peace.
A preliminary hearing for the student will be held at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 30 September, with a protest expected outside.
While some bystanders cheered as the student was arrested, boos were audible later at the declaration of “God save the King”.
Two more arrests were made on Monday during the procession of the Queen’s coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral.
One arrest was reported by police to be a 52 year old man, similarly arrested in connection with a breach of the peace.
The other arrest was of a 22 year old man who was charged with a breach of the peace.
Footage shared on Twitter featured the man shouting “Andrew, you’re a sick old man” at the passing Duke of York during the procession on Monday.
As he continued to shout, he was drowned out by a chant of ‘God save the King’.
He was then thrown to the ground by other members of the crowd and led away by police.
When interviewed in a video shared on Twitter later by Holyrood Daily reporter Joseph Anderson, the protester said that “powerful men shouldn’t be able to commit sexual crimes and get away with it.”
According to a Police Scotland statement to Holyrood Daily, the protester was released on the condition that they appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court on a later date.
Another arrest, made on 12 September after the accession proclamation, resulted in 74 year old John Peter receiving a fine of £350.
He was arrested at 3:50pm, before being charged and appearing in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on the same day, where he pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace.
According to Scottish law, a breach of the peace is characterised as “conduct severe enough to cause alarm to ordinary people and threaten serious disturbance to the community.”
If charged, the penalty for this in a sheriff court can be up to 12 months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
“Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Chambers St” by N Chadwick is licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0