England: Police unlawfully arrested proclamation heckler

Symon Hill, 47, has received £2,500 in compensation from Thames Valley police over the incident in September 2022. 

He had been returning home from his church in Oxford on a Sunday morning when he found the blocked by a procession proclaiming King Charles.

When he was declared our “only” king and “rightful liege lord”, Mr Hill called out: “Who elected him?”

He was told to shut up by a few people and responded that a head of state was being appointed without consent. Three security guards ordered him to be quiet. After arguing back, police officers appeared.

He was taken away as some bystanders challenged the police.

Ultimately, Mr Hill was charged under the Public Order Act with “threatening or abusive words or behaviour”. The charges were, however, dropped in January 2023 by the Crown Prosecution Service due to a lack of evidence.

Mr Hill said: “Opposing the monarchy is not a crime. I’m very conscious that most people who are wrongly arrested are not able to take legal action.

“This is not just about me. It never has been. It is about the rights of all people to dissent, to express their views, to refuse to bow down, to assert the dignity and equality of all human beings.”