Naked fury: Violence fears for new Kill the Bill protest
POLICE fear a third night of violence in Bristol tomorrow as activists stage another ‘Kill the Bill’ rally.
Social media posts urged supporters to ‘protest for your human rights’.
Clashes began on Sunday evening when 500 extremists hijacked a peaceful rally against proposed legislation to curb demonstrations. Violence broke out again early yesterday. In one bizarre scene, a naked woman was seen remonstrating with police.
There have been 40 attacks on officers so far. Sunday’s riot saw three police vans burned, another nine vehicles damaged and the windows of Bridewell Street Police Station smashed.
Two police officers needed hospital treatment for serious injuries, although fears they had suffered broken bones proved unfounded.
Around 150 activists erected tents on Bristol’s College Green on Tuesday afternoon in protest at how the legislation would affect travellers, squatters and the homeless. Scuffles broke out in the early hours when officers attempted to move on hundreds of demonstrators.
Police say they ‘are keeping a close eye on intelligence coming in’ ahead of this weekend.
They have so far arrested nine people over Sunday’s riot. Another 14 were arrested following the second demonstration. One man has already appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court to deny possessing a homemade spear in the aftermath of Sunday’s rioting.
Police have released photographs of 18 protesters sought over Sunday’s violence. One has already been identified. They have received more than 200 pieces of footage of the demonstration. Chief Superintendent Carolyn Belafonte of Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘This will be a substantial investigation which has the potential to be one of the largest in our history.
‘The fact we’re investigating 40 assaults on officers and a member of the media as the result of one incident shows the scale of wanton disorder which took place.
‘Through painstaking work to examine more than two terabytes worth of digital footage, we believe we’re making clear progress to identify those responsible and anticipate further images will be released soon.
‘One of the people we believe we’ve already identified is a sus suspect in the fire which destroyed a mobile community police station.
‘We’d like to thank every member of the public who’s got in touch to provide footage.’
Andy Marsh, the force’s Chief Constable, said Sunday’s demonstration had been hijacked by hundreds of extremists.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees, who said he had ‘major concerns’ about the legislation, condemned the thuggery. But he said the disorder would be used to justify the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance.