Royal Troubles: Amid Austerity and Inequality, Ire Is Growing Over Britain's 1% Monarchy

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Last edited Mon Nov 18, 2013, 09:39 PM - Edit history (1)

snip~

As riot police lined up around Parliament, a group splintered off heading west. Between 300 and 400 protesters occupied Victoria Memorial, directly in front of Buckingham Palace. The Queen was at home – rather than at one of her other dozen castles, stately residences and palaces – entertaining South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Less than 100 meters away, the crowd sang along to “Killing in the Name of,” by Rage Against the Machine, and chanted “Off with her head.” In shouting and on megaphones, the anti-monarchical rage focused on recent revelations that the Queen had tried to "apply" for a poverty grant from a £60 million fund designated for impoverished people.

But the greatest excitement was reserved for the three direct hits by fireworks. “It was a kind of carnival mood,” one protester said afterwards. “I suppose we were all surprised we were not all strung up and shot for treason. I was expecting a military response when those fireworks hit: the police did nothing for 35 minutes.”

The crowd also chanted, “Whose palace? Our palace!” in words so loud they echoed in through the open windows of the building -- and encapsulated the mood of the action, which directly targeted the monarchy's wealth and power.

From: http://www.occupy.com/article/royal-troubles-amid-austerity-and-inequality-ire-growing-over-britains-1-monarchy

Edit to add: Fireworks!