Thousands of Britons rioted in the early hours of Monday morning against plans to give British police new forces to suppress protests – 20 police were injured, including one with a pierced lung, officials said.
At least 5,000 people initially joined the afternoon protests in Bristol against the planned legislation, BristolLive said, with many posters condemning a dreaded ‘police state’ and ‘dictatorship’.
The so-called “Kill the Bill” protests then turned violent when several thousand people descended on a police station in the southern English city. It sparked a fiery riot that raged for hours, the local outlet said.
After rioters tried to overtake a police van, officers were caught on two fronts, the sales area said – with police vehicles also burning down and breaking the windows of the district. Some people even managed to climb on the roof of the station and throw stones at officers, BristolLive said.
Local police called in reinforcements from surrounding areas and used pepper spray and police dogs to repel the rioters.
The violence injured 20 officers. Two were admitted to hospital with broken bones, including one who also sustained a punctured lung, Avon and Somerset police said.
The protests were against the government’s bill on police, crime, sentencing and courts – which are currently going through parliament – which will give the police new powers to impose time and noise restrictions on street protests. The name of the protest, “Kill the Bill”, also has ominous undertones, as the British police are usually nicknamed “the bill”.
While only seven people were arrested during the night, the force launched ‘one of the largest appeals to wanted suspects we’ve ever done’, said Chief Constable Andy Marsh.
“The unintended violence and destruction had nothing to do with protest – it was committed by those who were looking for an excuse to commit disorder,” the top man said in a statement, condemning the ‘disgraceful’ scenes.
“Officers were pelted with stones and missiles and fireworks, and it was a scary situation for them to deal with,” he said. At least 12 police vehicles were destroyed after the protest was hijacked by extremists.
The British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, also “Unacceptable Scenes.”
“Bullying and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated,” she tweeted.
Sue Mountstevens, police and crime commissioner for the Avon and Somerset region, called the riots ‘shameful and outrageous’.
“Police officers went to work yesterday and some returned abused and bruised by hospital,” she said.
Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees – who opposes the new legislation – told “Good Morning Britain” Monday that the rioters just used it as an excuse to ‘crush our city’ and actually harmed their cause.
“It will be used as evidence by people who want to support the bill,” he said.
With Post Wires