Anti-monarchy demonstrators face police in Britain and Scotland

Among the crowds and lines of royal well-wishers in the UK coming to pay last respects to Queen Elizabeth II are some anti-monarchy protesters wishing to make their voices heard.

As NPR reported, in one example, a woman holding a sign that said, "Abolish monarchy" and "F*** imperialism" was arrested on Sunday in Edinburgh. The queen's body was there to lie in rest until Tuesday.

The Evening Standard shared a video of a protester in London holding a sign which read, "Not my king," as they were being escorted away from the gates at the Palace of Westminster. Police said the demonstrator was being moved away to make way for cars entering and leaving through the gates.

Police said the protester was not arrested, but even so, the hashtag #NotMyKing was growing on social media as those against feudalism and the royal family appear to be making their voices heard even louder.

Politicians and some media in the UK appear to be helping to amplify those voices.

Pippa Crerar, a political editor for The Guardian, wrote on Twitter, "Whether you agree with her or not, this woman has a right to protest. Nor is this an isolated example. Police need to be careful not to over-step the mark."

Another protester outside of UK Parliament said, "The principle of hereditary power, I think, is absolutely abhorrent in 2022. You can't have any philosophical or moral justification."

Author and activist Symon Hill said he was arrested after protesting King Charles III's ascension calling it an "outrageous assault on democracy."

Hill said of his arrest, "I doubt most of the people in the crowd even heard me. Two or three people near me told me to shut up."

According to Hill, he was arrested under a new piece of legislation passed this year in Britain called the "Police Bill."

UK lawmakers have toughened protest laws after groups like Extension Rebellion, and Black Lives Matter went to the streets to demonstrate in large protests in recent years.

The new law allows police to act in situations they deem "unjustifiably noisy," and in demonstrations, police say have "a significant impact on others."