Recriminations are growing over the arrest of six anti-monarchy protesters before King Charles III's coronation, after London police expressed "regret" over their detention and the republican group's leader flagged possible legal action.
The six Republic activists were detained near Trafalgar Square on Saturday using a controversial new law designed to stop protesters from "locking on" to objects as part of their action.
Criticism of the law was growing on Tuesday as the police minister was quizzed in parliament and police faced accusations of stifling the right to free protest.
FEDERAL BUDGET: Winners and losers
Republic CEO Graham Smith said he was considering legal action over what he called a "direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country".
London's Metropolitan Police late on Monday (Tuesday AEST) issued a statement saying the six protesters' bail had been cancelled and no further action would be taken.
"We regret that those six people arrested were unable to join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere on the procession route," the police force said in a statement.
Police insisted they had reasonable grounds to believe items the protesters said were to secure their placards "could be used as lock on devices", a newly prohibited act, but admitted there was no proof of that.
They said it wasn't clear at the time that one of the arrestees had been speaking with special protest liaison officers ahead of the event, a claim Republic denied.
FEDERAL BUDGET: Billions on the table for power price relief for eligible households, businesses
Smith, who's been publicly calling for the monarchy to be replaced by an elected head of state for two decades, said three Met police officers came to his house on Monday night, apologised and handed back his phone and the confiscated luggage straps.
The CEO said he had been held for 16 hours and "made it clear the apology is not accepted".
"This has been a disgraceful episode and we will be speaking to lawyers about taking legal action," he said, on Twitter.
"I also expect a full inquiry into why they repeatedly lied to us and who authorised the arrests."
https://twitter.com/GrahamSmith_/status/1655627714395615243Writing in the Evening Standard Met Police boss Sir Mark Rowley defended his officers, saying while it was "unfortunate" the six couldn't join the protest, he supported their actions.
Rowley said police had intelligence suggesting unnamed protesters planned to use rape alarms and loud hailers in a move that would have spooked military horses in the coronation procession.
"We also had intelligence that people intended to extensively vandalise monuments, throw paint at the procession, and incur on to the route," he said.
"While we said that our tolerance for disruption of the Coronation celebrations was low, it was not zero."
Tory Police Minister Chris Philp also defended the officers, saying they "had to make difficult judgments in fast time in a highly pressured situation against a threatening intelligence picture".
The Public Order Act, which allows police to search demonstrators for items including locks and glue, carries a potential one-year prison term for those who block roads and other important infrastructure.
Similar laws, sparked by frustration over protests predominantly carried out by environmentalists trying to force greater action to fight human-caused climate change, have been introduced in several Australian states.
There were already calls for a review as Philp was pressed in the House of Commons on Tuesday, including from his own side of politics.
"Within one week for the Public Order Bill, entering the law, and its first serious use, we end up with the head of the Met having to apologise to people who were wrongfully arrested," Conservative MP David Davis said.
Philp said there were no plans to reexamine the legislation, which UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk last month called "deeply troubling legislation" that was "incompatible" with the country's international obligations.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he'd requested "further clarity" from the Met.
"While it's vital the police are able to keep us safe, it must be balanced with protecting the right to peaceful protest - an integral part of democracy," he said, on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/SadiqKhan/status/1655695730982506499"Londoners will want swift reassurance any lessons to be learned will be learned."
Smith said he was seeking clarification about two other Republic protesters who were arrested.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
