THE LEADER of the one-man Republican Party of England has decided to step down, 15 years after he last hit the headlines.

Polish-born Paul Pawlowski has called it a day after more than two decades of fighting for the overthrow of the monarchy.

The 69-year-old from Water Street, Accrington, has been jailed three times since 1959 for staging demonstrations against the royal family.

Despite a constant battle with the authorities, Mr Pawlowski was never able to get official recognition of his party from the Home Office.

And last year even the Communist paper The Morning Star turned its back on the self-styled republican, refusing his adverts because they did not want to encourage subscribers to read his material.

Mr Pawlowski is currently on the look-out for someone to take his place at the forefront of the fight against the royals.

He said: "I would like an English republican to take over the secretaryship of the Republican Party of England.

"There is no money in it. It is an unpaid job and you could be ostracised. You could be assaulted. You could be arrested and imprisoned. "If war was to break out and English republicans rounded up, you could be the first hanged."

The defiant anti-monarchist was jailed in 1981 for seven days after staging a solo demonstration outside Buckingham Palace.

At the time he was protesting against the cost of Prince Charles's wedding to Lady Diana.

Mr Pawlowski also spent six months behind bars after he was arrested for distributing leaflets condemning the monarchy on Broadway in Accrington.

The republican had plans to set-up a Church of Aphrodite in his home town back in 1981. He claimed to be a high priest in the sect, which worships the Greek goddess of love.

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