A couple of hundred anti-monarchy protesters braved the massed ranks of royalists to stage an overwhelmingly unpopular riverside demonstration at the Queen’s diamond jubilee pageant.
Supporters of the campaign group Republic gathered near Tower Bridge waving placards and banners with slogans such as “Citizen not subject” and “Power to the people" as they called for the abolition of the monarchy.
But they faced boos and jeers from the crowd who had waited for hours in the rain to watch the pageant, while some royalists began singing God Save The Queen.
Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said the protest was to raise the profile of the republican movement. He said: “We’re opposed to celebrating hereditary privilege and power. The message is to the millions of people who oppose the monarchy that there is a movement you can support.
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“The whole country isn’t in love with the monarchy. It’s a minority interest. We’ll keep going until the monarchy is abolished.”
Republic said the protest involved supporters from Wales and Scotland, as well as a delegation from Sweden. Protesters reassured families supporting the pageant that the demonstration would be peaceful.
Mr Smith added: “The royals spend most of their lives shielded from criticism - this protest will give them a rare glimpse of the strength of republican sentiment in Britain today.
“The hereditary system is offensive to all the democratic values this country has fought for in the past. The jubilee represents a celebration of everything we, as republicans, oppose - it is our right and duty to challenge it and promote the alternative.
“The heightened Palace PR campaign of the last 18 months has already backfired. People are sick and tired of being told they must celebrate 60 years of one very privileged, very remote and very uninspiring head of state. The idea that the monarchy’s future is any safer as a result of the jubilee is completely laughable.”
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Protester Anna Fry, 26, who was holding up a home-made sign reading "Votes not boats", said: “I’m here because I don’t believe in hereditary privilege. I believe in democracy and I think we need an elected head of state.”
Adrian Tippetts, 41, said security guards had confiscated their megaphones and leaflets. He added: “I’ve got no problem with the royal family as people. I’m sure the Queen is a nice person and if she was having problems carrying her shopping home then I would give her a hand and I would give my seat up on the bus for her, but I would like her to stand for election as head of state.”
Meanwhile the number of ardent royal supporters dwarfed the protest.
Kelly Younger, 46, an air-hostess originally from Detroit, described herself as a monarchist. She said: “It’s a good sign of a democracy that people are allowed to protest so I don’t have a problem with that, although I have to say I don’t agree with them. I think the Queen has done a great job and we don’t have anything like that in America.”
The overwhelming majority of the crowd had come to cheer on the Queen as she sails under Tower Bridge just after 4pm, yet the campaigners carried on.
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As one shouted “We will win this”, a woman passing by wearing red, white and blue retorted “No you bloody won’t."