Do arrests at the coronation mean Britain is at risk of becoming a police state?

What has readers talking today? (Picture: Getty)

Today Metro readers are discussing democracy and whether it’s fair to say Britain has turned into North Korea.

As one reader points out the public are free to express their opinions on the monarchy.

But, whether it was right to for the Met police to arrest anti-monarchy protesters, well, it’s an action the Met police have said they ‘regret’.

What do you think?

Are we headed down a slippery slope?

Have your say in the comments below.

■ T in Glasgow (MetroTalk, Wed) says Britain has ‘turned into North Korea’ because anti-monarchy demonstrators have been arrested and their placards seized, there are oaths of allegiance to the King, and newsreaders smile whenever royalty is mentioned.

I think T needs to research or even attempt to visit North Korea if they think there is any possible comparison to the UK.

People being freely enthusiastic about the monarchy? Optional oaths that nobody has to take, and for which there is certainly no penalty or imprisonment for not taking? Wow, what a stretch from a liberal democracy to a total police state!
Paul, London

■ If you think we’ve turned into North Korea, T from Glasgow, show me where the concentration camps are, and those with voices against a dictator who have been executed or disappeared.

Get used to it, we’re never going to be a republic. Have a nice day.
Jim, London

Is it justified to compare Britain to North Korea over protester arrests at the coronation? (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty)

Fans of the King stood in the rain out of their own free will (Picture: PA)

■ T in Glasgow, who compares Britain to North Korea, will presumably not be shocked or even surprised when King Charles begins ordering the execution of people he thinks don’t like him.
HG, Maidstone

■ Does correspondent Ken in Southfields (MetroTalk, Tue) really believe that democratically elected heads of state are any less trusted than certain members of what he calls the ‘democratic monarchies of western Europe’?
Jim, Daventry

■ The difference between a monarch and a president is the difference between dictatorship and elected power. The first is power decided by means other than elections – inherited power could be one – while the second is temporary and decided by the electorate, which is a grown-up thing.
Lucy, Norfolk

■ I feel it is rather ironic that some people, especially on social media, who are claiming the royal family is worth a fortune to the tourist industry, are the same ones who supported Brexit.

In some cases they wanted a hard border and fewer foreigners. This has resulted in fewer Europeans visiting. Convenient travel links are unlikely to be reversed anytime soon.

Also looking at the Americans and Japanese who visit, the hospitality industry is struggling to achieve decent service levels because of staff shortages created by Brexit. None of it exactly makes any sense, does it?
Robert Boston, Kent

Ableism, slugs, and you’re never too old to learn how to swim

If you saw a wheelchair user being harassed would you speak up? (Picture: Getty)

■ I read the whole of Samantha Renke’s article about feeling violated after being harassed by strangers in shops three times in a week in her wheelchair (Metro, Wed).

I was amazed at how unfeeling people can be when catching sight of a person in a wheelchair.

I apologise on behalf of everyone who hurt Samantha and hope that she keeps on mixing with the public.
Grace, Hazlemere

Are you a wheelchair user? What has your experience with the public been?Comment Now

■ The government is to approve longer lorries on Britain’s roads, saying they are safe. Would this be the same ministers who told us smart motorways are safe?
Martin James, Egham

■ Is there no end to the ingenuity of slugs if Jason Williams’ lupins aren’t safe from them on his 18th-floor balcony (Metro, Tue)?

I pictured them abseiling in but suppose they got there as eggs in the soil or on other plants.
Lizzie, Liverpool

Any ideas how to keep slugs off my balcony? (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto)

Do you have any tips to keep slugs away from plants?Comment Now

■ I was happy to read the article about James Hussan who was so terrified of water that he didn’t learn to swim until he was 45 (Metro, Wed).

I’m in my 50s and I did ten lessons during the winter because I want to do paddleboarding and thought it might be a good idea to learn to swim first.

I’m not brilliant at it but I’ve been shown the correct technique. I still can’t tread water and don’t think I ever will be able to. However, I now have more confidence and I’m ready to get on that board.
Liz, Wokingham

How did you learn to swim? (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto)

What has stopped you from learning how to swim? Comment Now

■ To Mike from South Shields (MetroTalk, Wed), who asks about ‘Britain’s soft power’. The term has been around since I was a child, along with the well over-used ‘We need to learn the lessons’. Oh, I’m nearly 60.
Doug, Witham

■ More than 160 pharmacies closed in two years as GPs put more work on to them. Conservative Britain, you couldn’t make it up.
T Deng, Sussex

Are you looking forward to the Eurovision final? (Picture: PA)

■ Enough! We endured weeks of the coronation pantomime. Now it’s
days of a show for the tasteless: Eurovision!
Russel, by text

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