Anti-monarchy pressure group Republic were present outside York Minster on Thursday, 6 April, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla attending a Maundy Thursday service.
Around 30 activists from the pressure group staged their latest protest against the Royal Family, holding aloft banners reading ‘Not My King’.
The latest demonstrations by Republic came after King Charles declared his support for research to be conducted into his family’s historical links with the slave trade.
So, what is the ‘Not My King’ movement? Who are Republic? How many members does the pressure group have?
Read on below for all you need to know about the anti-monarchy organisation
Anti-monarchy protesters pictured outside York Minster on Thursday, 6 April, 2023, holding aloft placards to reveal the message ‘Not My King’
Anti-monarchy protesters were outnumbered in York by a large crowd of royal wellwishers
Table of Contents
What is the ‘Not My King’ movement?
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Republic have gained momentum by promoting the #NotMyKing.
The hashtag has become increasingly popular since King Charles ascended to the throne in September 2022, with some members of the public raising fresh questions about the necessity for a monarchy in the United Kingdom.
Republic previously held similar protests in London, as well as booing King Charles and Queen Camilla in Colchester, Essex in March 2023.
Who are Republic?
Republic is a pressure group calling for an end to the UK’s system of constitutional monarchy.
Set up in 1983 as a group of republicans and officially founded as pressure group in 2006, Republic wants to replace a royal head of state with an elected figure.
It would bring the UK into line with countries such as Germany, which has both a political leader, currently Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and an elected head of state, the President of Germany, currently Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
It is a member organisation of Common Cause – the alliance of republican movements in the Commonwealth – as well as the Stockholm based Alliance of European Republican Movements.
The group protested the royal wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.
But in an attempt to explain why the group was organising more protests against the King than his late mother, he admitted: ‘The Queen enjoyed deference and it put people off criticising her directly. We were aware heckling her wouldn’t go down well.’
Republic believes hereditary public office goes against every democratic principle and ultimately want to abolish the monarchy. Instead, they want a head of state that is chosen by the public and keeps politicians in check.
How many members does Republic have?
It is currently headed up by Peter Cafferkey – who took over as chairman of the pressure group earlier this year.
Mr Cafferkey is the UK’s representative for the European Venture Philanthropy Association, having founded London-based ‘social good’ consultancy Boncerto.
Its current chief executive is long-term member Graham Smith, who has consistently called for the end to the Monarchy – a system he describes as ‘wrong’.
The group also features renowned Extinction Rebellion protester Eleanor ‘Gully’ Bujak, who has previously been convicted of criminal acts during Extinction Rebellion eco protests.
She is also a privately-educated model and actress and former junior head girl at Stover School in Devon – where her father used to be headmaster.
As of 2015, the group had an income of £140,000. In 2016 it had over 5,000 paying members and about 35,000 online supporters.
A protester wears a King Charles mask, complete with the ‘Not My King’ slogan
When is the next London protest?
King Charles’ official coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May, 2023.
Republic are expecting more than a thousand people to protest at the coronation but promised they will keep it ‘fairly light-hearted’.
Mr Smith said: ‘We’re thinking it’s going to be over a thousand people at the coronation itself.
‘We’re not quite sure what we’re going to do but we may have other groups along the route. But, certainly, there will be one large protest in the middle, on the procession route.
‘And it will be a lot of this really, lots of ‘not my King’ placards – we’ll be making some noise. There’ll be a bit of a party atmosphere, trying to engage the people around us and keep it fairly light-hearted.
‘And we’ll make sure that when the procession goes past we are unmissable.’
