ROHAN’S RAMBLINGS ROHAN ASHAR (he/him) WHY THE QUEEN’S DEATH WAS A

Difficult Time For Freedom Of Speech

THE DEATH OF Queen Elizabeth II began an extraordinary and historic couple of weeks in which mourning took place locally, nationally, and internationally from 8th September until after the funeral on the 19th.

Even though that period of time demanded an official sense of grief, it also constituted a significant moment where a range of strong views about the British monarchy and its benefits or pitfalls got expressed. However, only one type of opinion was allowed at the public surface, and alternative perspectives failed to be acknowledged amidst extensive media coverage. I will therefore briefly reflect on how myself and probably many others were feeling in relation to this issue, and what the circumstances meant for free speech.

There were at least two sides in terms of reactions to the Queen’s death. Loads of people experienced sadness at losing a figure who they perceived typified positive things like national pride, stability, female empowerment, and leadership. Conversely, a notable portion of the population vocalised thoughts including that the royal family doesn’t affect their life, disrupts the concept of democracy, unnecessarily receives taxpayers’ money, and fails to alleviate damages associated with colonialism.

Personally, I have never liked the monarchy, mainly since I can’t comprehend individuals being given such a high level of (albeit mostly ceremonial) authority over, and wealth from, an entire nation just because they were born into a certain family. I also believe that the royal family could take simple steps to address their chequered past and repair negative implications of empire still existing in their traditions, but are content not to.

Nonetheless, I’m not writing this specific article to argue for monarchy abolition; seeing people disagree with my viewpoint wasn’t a problem around the Queen’s death as I can understand various bits of reasoning, so let’s now consider the conduct that actually caused frustration.

The weeks following the death created disillusionment for many people, who didn’t feel represented by the royal family and wished to express their stance while responding to the heavy outpouring of emotions in favour of the monarchy that the news showed. I make reference here to those who shared remarks that genuinely imagined that this event could be a catalyst for change and/or criticised the royal regime, which are valid reactions, and I don’t condone actively celebrating someone’s death.

Social media was as polarised as ever, with comments sections demonstrating opposing forms of upsetness, although most of