A series of strikes and protests by anti-monarchist groups hit the streets during the coronation of King Charles III in Scotland, the Celtic country. Internet users compared the coronation event to the ‘Game of Thrones‘ HBO series. The peaceful protests quickly turned into minor clashes among the spectators, as the venue was mostly made up of royal fans, who were there to watch the procession.
At the last coronation, the Scottish Green Republican Party railed against the idea of a second coronation in Scotland, with placards reading the iconic phrase, “NotMyKing“, protesting against the traditions and protocols of the British crown, which were fiercely defended by royalty fanatics. The co-leader of the Scottish Republican group, Patrick Harvie, called the coronation ceremony a “Game of Thrones-style cosplay parody,” due to the “ridiculous” costumes and outfits witnessed.
A video recorded in the city of Edinburgh showed how several protesters from the Republican group shouted “Not my King” while the royal supporters answered with their own chant, “Charles King of Scots“. The anti-monarchist groups had yellow signs with their motto, and the royal supporters also brought their own signs but in red, which made this a very visible two-sided confrontation of yellow and red signs.
The atmosphere on the street got quite intense when a royalist fanatic tried to snatch a huge Scottish flag carried by a woman from the Republican side, an action that was not going to be tolerated by the other side protesters, who started yelling.
The confrontation escalated and heated up with the exchange of words between the two sides, and ended up on a strong clash in the middle. After the event, hundreds of people complained to the authorities for having allowed anti-monarchist groups to settle near the event, where there were hundreds of spectators and royal fans.