Royal Family residence encircled by ring of steel as King Charles braced for protest
Windsor Castle is a royal residence which was loved by the late Queen Elizabeth II
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One of the most famous royal residences has been surrounded with extra security following reports of a plot to storm the grounds in three days of chaos.
Windsor Castle has seen extra security barriers put in place to stop a planned Extinction Rebellion protest getting close to the gates of the castle.
Tourists, dog walkers and residents have all been advised to avoid the area from August 30 to September 1.
Thousands of XR followers are expected to descend on the Berkshire town with the local council and Thames Valley Police, according to XR, giving permission for Home Park to be turned into a campsite for up to 10,000 people.
Extra security has been brought in at Windsor Castle (file pic)
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The King will not be present at Windsor Castle during the protest as he is spending his summer holiday at Balmoral in Scotland. Extinction Rebellion says its occupation of Windsor Great Park is to urge the King to do more on green issues, a topic he has long campaigned on.
Catherine Bartlett, of Extinction Rebellion UK, said: "Windsor Castle has been chosen as an embodiment of a broken and unjust system where our message will resonate powerfully. The general election has neither fixed our broken system nor addressed the urgent action needed to tackle the climate and nature emergency.
"Aristocrats, oligarchs and corporate interests have infected and distorted our politics and media for their own benefit and at our expense."
The protest, called Upgrade Democracy, has said it will not specifically target the King or any individual.
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Windsor Castle is a royal residence which was loved by the late Queen Elizabeth IIGettyIt comes after an Animal Rebellion protester has hit out at the justice system after being found guilty of causing damage worth thousands of pounds to a Buckingham Palace fountain by releasing red dye into it.
Louis McKechnie, 23, Christopher Bennett, 27, Riley Ings, 27, Claire Smith, 26, and Rachel Steele, 48, were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of causing £7,080 of criminal damage to the Queen Victoria Memorial water feature on August 26 2021.
McKechnie said: “We did this because we think the royal family still has a responsibility to this day to step up and show true leadership. If Charles claims to be, you know, a climate-conscious King, he’s got to show it, surely.
"He barks the right stuff, but where is his bite? I’m not seeing it. It starts with calling for a plant-based food system. King Charles, that’s our message to him – call for a plant-based food system if you really care about any of the things you claim to."
Christopher Bennett, 27, Louis McKechnie, 23, and Riley Ings, 27, three of five Animal Rebellion protesters who have been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court
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Bennett, of Fish Ponds Road, Bristol; Ings, of no fixed address; McKechnie, of Claremont Road, Dorset; Steele, of Capworth Street, east London; and Smith, of Chadwick Street, Leeds, had each denied one count of criminal damage.
They will be sentenced on October 18.
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