Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Many of Thursday’s front pages lead on the upcoming coronation of King Charles III – which will take place on Saturday 4 May at Westminster Abbey.
Saturday Coronation
Several Thursday front pages feature preparations for the Coronation, which is set to be the biggest policing operation in UK history. The Daily Mail reports that the Metropolitan Police will deploy vans equipped with roof-mounted cameras and facial-recognition technology to analyse thousands of people per minute and identify terror suspects, wanted criminals, and known troublemakers. However, human rights organisation Liberty tells The Guardian that the use of live facial recognition is extremely worrying and a “dystopian tool” that undermines people’s rights and freedoms.
The Daily Mirror warns that any Coronation demonstrators who obstruct the event will face swift police action under the new Public Order Act, which has been sent as a warning to anti-monarchy group Republic. The Daily Telegraph reports that republican protesters will be allowed to line the royal procession route, holding banners that denounce the King, and officers have been instructed to engage with them rather than remove them.
The i leads with a UK plan for the King to help lead a Brexit detox with Europe, indicating that the government aims to demonstrate Britain’s ability to work with EU countries and that the King can play a role following his successful visit to Germany in March.
