King's throne in House of Lords targeted by left-wing activists
Protesters have unveiled a banner in the House of Lords calling for the abolition of the current political system
Left-wing protesters, believed to be associated with protest group Assemble, have unveiled banners in front of the King's throne in the House of Lords.
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The activists climbed over the barriers during a tour of Parliament on Friday, revealing a banner reading 'Replace the Lords'.
Photos of the incident show individuals attempting to unravel their purple banners as police intervened.
The group has said that some of its members were detained by the Metropolitan Police, but have since been released.
The protest group Assemble have established a so-called 'People's Charter', which they describe as "a new democratic mandate for the UK".
The demands include the House of Lords be abolished, and a permanent citizens' assembly be established in its place.
A spokesman for Assemble emphasised that this was not a protest against the monarchy.
"The King has a symbolic role in government, but the Lords have real power, and they’re corrupt as hell," they said.
"It's time to replace them with a fair and democratic citizens' assembly."
Other elements of the Assemble movement, who describe themselves as a grassroots democracy organisation, includes protest groups like Just Stop Oil, Take Back Power and Youth Demand.
Speaking on the incident, a House of Lords spokesperson said: "Earlier today three members of the public who had accessed the Estate as part of a commercial tour briefly protested in the House of Lords chamber before security officers and police dealt with the incident and tours recommenced.
"The security of Members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority. While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective.
"These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review."