BRISTOL, England – Two police officers were seriously injured and at least two police vehicles were set on fire in the southwestern city of Bristol during the violence following a peaceful protest, police said on Sunday.
Thousands of protesters converged on the center, ignoring Covid-19 restrictions, to protest a bill that is passing through parliament that would give the police new powers to restrict street protests.
The local force, Avon and Somerset Police, said the demonstration started peacefully, but later became violent by a small minority.
Interior Minister Priti Patel tweeted that the violence was unacceptable.
“Banditry and disorder from a minority will never be tolerated,” she said. “Our policemen have put themselves in danger to protect all of us. My thoughts tonight are with the wounded policemen.”
Two policemen were taken to the hospital, one with a broken arm and the other with broken ribs, while others were subjected to violence and verbal abuse. The exterior of a police station in the city center was vandalized.
Avon and the Somerset Police said they had asked for help from neighboring police departments to help control the situation.
“Everyone involved in this criminal behavior will be identified and brought to justice. There will be significant consequences for behavior like this,” said Avon and Somerset Chief Superintendent Will White in a statement.
A Reuters photographer at the scene saw some protesters launching fireworks at police officers, trying to overturn a police van, climb the outside wall of a police station and spray graffiti on it.
He also saw policemen, some with full shock equipment, using batons and shields to try to repel protesters.
Some protesters carried signs with slogans like “Kill the Bill”. “The day when democracy became a dictatorship” and “We can’t be silenced that easily”.
The government’s bill on Police, Crime, Penalties and Courts would give the police new powers to impose time and noise limits on street protests.
This angered activists, especially since a severe police response to a London vigil by the March 13 murder victim Sarah Everard caused outrage and widespread criticism of the police.
A police officer was charged with Everard’s kidnapping and murder, and the case sparked a wave of pain and anger over the issue of violence against women and girls.
The government’s bill predates the Everard case and covers a wide range of policy areas, as well as the policing of protests. However, the two connected in the minds of many people because, by coincidence, the project was under debate in parliament two days after the London vigil.