Four individuals have been taken into custody following an incident at the Tower of London where apple crumble and custard were thrown at the display case housing part of the Crown Jewels. Metropolitan Police were called to the scene shortly before 10:00 GMT on Saturday after the glass case protecting the Imperial State Crown—a piece typically worn by King Charles III during formal ceremonies—was defaced by the food items. The police confirmed the arrest of the four individuals on suspicion of criminal damage. The Jewel House at the Tower of London was temporarily closed to visitors while authorities conducted their investigation, reports The WP Times citing ВВС.
The group claiming responsibility for the action is Take Back Power, which identifies itself as a new non-violent civil resistance movement and appears to be an offshoot of the environmental group Just Stop Oil. The protesters stated their action was intended to demand that the UK government establish a permanent Citizen's Assembly, or "House of the People," which would be granted the authority to "tax extreme wealth and fix Britain."
Policing Minister Sarah Jones publicly condemned the incident, describing the behaviour as "disgraceful" and emphasizing the distinction between the legitimate democratic right to protest and unacceptable conduct. The group's shared footage on social media showed one demonstrator removing a large foil tray of crumble from a bag and slamming it against the protective glass, followed by another protester pouring a tub of bright yellow custard over the front of the display.
Tourists were visibly surprised by the sudden action. Shouts from the protesters included the phrases, "Democracy has crumbled" and "Britain is broken. We've come here to the jewels of the nation to take back power." Historic Royal Palaces confirmed shortly after the incident that the Imperial State Crown itself was not damaged. The Jewel House was able to reopen to the public early in the afternoon.
This is the second high-profile demonstration claimed by the group in recent days. Just days earlier, on Wednesday, three Take Back Power protesters emptied bags of manure onto the floor of the lobby at the Ritz hotel beneath its large Christmas tree. Take Back Power has recently emerged on the social media channels previously utilized by Just Stop Oil activists, who refer to the new group as a "new project."
Just Stop Oil—known for previous disruptive actions such as throwing soup onto Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and climbing motorway gantries—announced in March that it would be ending its reliance on direct action methods. The Imperial State Crown, a famous symbol of the monarchy, was originally crafted in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI. It contains 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, four rubies, and 269 pearls. It was worn by King Charles III upon leaving Westminster Abbey during his 2023 coronation and is otherwise only used for formal state occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament.
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