14 people were arrested for offences including breaches of Covid legislation and obstruction of a highway, with one arrest connected to Sunday's riot.
Just two days after the first “Kill the Bill” protest in Bristol which descended into rioting, police have arrested 14 people during a second demonstration.
Officers from Avon and Somerset Police, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Welsh forces as well as British Transport Police were called upon on Tuesday night to College Green, where circa 130 people had congregated earlier in the evening.
The “Kill the Bill” protests in the city are against the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will give the police new powers to deal with demonstrations.
14 people were arrested for offences including breaches of Covid legislation and obstruction of a highway, with one arrest connected to Sunday’s riot.
Chief Superintendent Claire Armes said: “Officers had engaged with protestors and asked them to disperse, but tents and a sound system were set up so it was abundantly clear they were intent on remaining at the location, in spite of legislation in place to protect public health. After the scenes of violence witnessed in the city at the weekend it was necessary to bring in additional resources from our neighbouring forces to ensure the protest was safely brought to a swift conclusion. Throughout the operation officers continued to urge protestors to move on – at no time were they contained – but there came a time when enforcement was necessary as gatherings are still not permitted. It’s disappointing that officers needed to take this action on a day we should be remembering all those who’ve lost their lives to Covid-19 over the past year. The communities of Bristol have made too many sacrifices and worked so hard to defeat this virus, it’s unacceptable for people to insult their efforts in this way.”
Police are still investigating the riot that erupted at an initially peaceful protest on Sunday in Bristol and the force have released pictures of 10 suspects. A police station was attacked, 21 officers were injured and vehicles were set ablaze when scenes turned violent on Sunday.
Detective Chief Superintendent Carolyn Belafonte said: “The investigation into Sunday’s disgraceful scenes of violence will undoubtedly be one of the largest in Avon and Somerset Police’s history. More than 100 officers and staff continue to work on the inquiry which is being led by our major crime investigation team. Hundreds of hours of digital material has already been reviewed and images of the first 10 people detectives want to talk to about Sunday’s events have been identified. Officers and staff are working their way through images and footage as quickly as they can but with more than two terabytes worth of CCTV footage as well as nearly 100 officers’ body worn video cameras and more than 100 videos already sent in by members of the public to review, this will take a considerable amount of time. We expect to release images of many more people in the coming days and ask anyone who recognises anyone to contact us.”