Thousands of Britons protested early on Monday against plans to give UK police new powers to crack down on protests – leaving 20 policemen injured, including one with a punctured lung, officials said.
At least 5,000 people initially joined the afternoon protests in Bristol against planned legislation, said BristolLive, with many carrying signs condemning a feared “police state” and “dictatorship”.
So-called “Kill the Bill” protests then turned violent when “several thousand” people stormed a police station in the southwestern city of England – triggering a violent riot that lasted for hours, the local media said.
After protesters tried to push a police van, police were caught on two fronts, the agency said – with police vehicles also being set on fire and the windows of the police station broken. Some members of the crowd even managed to climb onto the roof of the station and throw rocks at the police, BristolLive said.
Local police called in reinforcements from surrounding areas and used pepper spray and police dogs to push against protesters, the media said.
The violence left 20 policemen injured. Two were hospitalized with broken bones, including one who also suffered a puncture in the lung, Avon and the Somerset Police reported.
The protests were against the government’s bill on Police, Crime, Penalties and Courts – currently pending in parliament – which would give the police new powers to impose time and noise limits on street protests. The name of the protest, “Kill the Bill”, also has sinister connotations, as the UK police are commonly nicknamed “the Bill”.
While only seven people were arrested overnight, the force launched “one of the biggest appeals to wanted suspects we’ve ever made,” said police chief Andy Marsh.
“Rampant violence and destruction have nothing to do with protest – they were committed by those looking for an excuse to commit disorder,” said the policeman in a statement, condemning the “shameful” scenes.
“The police were shot at with rocks, missiles and fireworks and it was a terrible situation for them to deal with,” he said. At least 12 police vehicles were destroyed after the protest was “hijacked by extremists,” he said.
UK Interior Secretary Priti Patel also tore the “Unacceptable scenes”.
“Theft and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated,” she tweeted.
Sue Mountstevens, a police officer and crime commissioner in the Avon and Somerset region, called the riots “shameful and outrageous”.
“The police went to work yesterday and some came home via the hospital with injuries and bruises,” she said.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees – who opposes the new legislation – told “Good Morning Britain” on Monday that the rioters were just using it as an excuse to “destroy our city” and really hurt their cause.
“It will be used as evidence by people who want to support the bill,” he said.
With Post Wires