BRISTOL, England – Two police officers were seriously injured and at least two police vehicles were set on fire in the town of Bristol in the south west of England during a peaceful protest, police said on Sunday.
Thousands of protesters rallied in the city center, ignoring Covid-19 restrictions, in protest of a proposed bill by parliament that would give police new powers to curb street protests.
The local force, Avon and Somerset police, said the protest started peacefully but later became violent by a small minority.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, Home Secretary, tweeted that the violence was unacceptable.
“Bullying and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated,” she said. “Our police officers are all harming themselves. My thoughts are with the injured police officers tonight.”
Two officers were taken to hospital, one with a broken arm and another with broken ribs, while others were subjected to violence and verbal abuse. The outside of a downtown police station has been vandalized.
Avon and Somerset police said they had enlisted the help of neighboring police departments to control the situation.
“All those involved in this criminal conduct will be identified and brought to justice. There will be significant consequences for conduct such as this,” said Will White, chief executive of Avon and Somerset, in a statement.
A Reuters photographer at the scene saw some protesters launching fireworks at police officers, trying to overturn a police van, scaling down the outside wall of a police station and spray-painting graffiti on it.
He also saw the police, some of them in full riot gear, using batons and shields to try to ward off protesters.
Some protesters carried placards with slogans such as ‘Kill the Bill’. “The day democracy became dictatorship” and “We can not be quiet so easily”.
The bill on police, crime, sentencing and government courts will give the police new powers to impose time and noise restrictions on street protests.
This angered activists, especially as a heavy-handed police response to a London vigilance for murder victim Sarah Everard on March 13 sparked widespread anger and criticism from police.
A police officer has been charged with kidnapping and murdering Everard, and the case has sparked an outburst of sadness and anger over the issue of violence against women and girls.
The government bill preceded the Everard case and covers a wide range of policy areas, as well as the policing of protests. However, the two became connected in many people’s heads because the bill happened to be discussed in parliament two days after the London night vigil.