Republic (political organisation)
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Republic is a British republican organisation, wishing to replace the monarchy with an elected head of state. It is a member organization of the Common Cause. It is the largest British organisation advocating for a republic to replace the monarchy[citation needed].
Founded in 1983 [1], the group has benefited from recent negative publicity about the Royal Family [2], and Republic has reported a large rise in membership [3] since the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. In June 2006 the group handed in a petition of over 3,000 names[citation needed] to 10 Downing Street calling for a serious national debate about the future of the monarchy.
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[edit] Legal context
Advocacy of the replacement of the monarchy with a republic has traditionally been an imprisonable offence. The Treason Felony Act 1848 prohibits the advocacy of a republic in print. The penalty for committing the crime of such advocacy is lifetime imprisonment, even if such advocacy is by peaceful means. This Act remains in force in the United Kingdom [4]. However, under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Law Lords have held that although the Treason Felony Act remains on the statute books, it was incompatible with the Human Rights Act.
This organisation lies within the movement for republicanism in the United Kingdom. See the article, Republicanism in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Supporters of the Republic Campaign
The Campaign has supporters --mainly Labour-- in Parliament. These supporters include Tony Benn, who in 1991 introduced a Commonwealth of Britain Bill in Parliament; Roy Hattersley; and Norman Baker MP (a Liberal Democrat).
Outside Parliament, well-known contemporary republicans include journalist and author Claire Rayner; actress Honor Blackman; author Benjamin Zephaniah; and Michael Mansfield, QC.
