The Kill the Bill protest was denounced by the government and local lawmakers after protesters clashed with police, attacked a police station and left some officers with broken legs on Sunday night.
“Bullying and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated,” British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted, calling the scenes ‘unacceptable’.
The event began as a demonstration against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s flagship policing bill, which critics say will hand over the powers of police and ministers that could seriously curb the ability of citizens to protest peacefully.
However, tensions escalated as the protests erupted Sunday, leading to violent scenes condemned by officials and lawmakers across the political spectrum.
“Officers were subjected to significant levels of abuse and violence. One had a broken arm and another had broken ribs. Both were taken to hospital,” Avon and Somerset police said Sunday night. “They should never be subjected to assault or ill-treatment in this way. At least two police vehicles were set on fire and damage was done to the outside of the station.”
Andy Roebuck, chairman of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, called the protesters “a crowd of animals”, while the national chairman of the England and Wales Police Federation, John Apter, questioned their motives. “It’s not about protecting the right to protest, it’s violent crime from a harsh minority who will hijack any situation for their own purpose,” he said.
And Labor MP Darren Jones of the Labor opposition party said: “You are not campaigning for the right to peaceful protest by setting fire to police cars or graffiti on buildings.”
Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens has been charged with kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard earlier this month in a case that has been intensely pursued and has led to a new national debate on intimidation, harassment and violence against women.
But police were also outraged when they marched on a peaceful vigil to Everard in south London on March 13, apparently forcing women to the ground, an approach that led to a review and investigation. to pending legislation that would strengthen their powers to dismantle protests and mass rallies in the future.
The mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said he was “deeply concerned about the bill itself, which has been poorly thought out and could impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to peaceful protest.”
But he condemned violent protests in his city because they made it more likely that the bill would succeed. “Smashing buildings in our city center, vandalizing vehicles, attacking our police will do nothing to reduce the likelihood that the bill will pass. On the contrary, the lawlessness presented will be used as evidence and the need to the bill. “
The bill was debated in parliament last week. It suggests in a somewhat vague language that protests and demonstrations should not cause ‘intentional’ or ‘reckless’ public nuisance, and elsewhere it is said that damage to monuments could carry a penalty of up to ten years in prison – a clause seen as response to protesters from Black Lives Matter, which last year demolished or condemned statues of slave traders in Bristol and elsewhere.