Six fined after police break up Kill the Bill demo
FORCE SENDS IN TACTICAL OFFICERS TO MOVE PEOPLE SITTING ON STREET TRAM TRACKS
SIX suspects arrested following a ‘Kill the Bill’ protest in Manchester have been released under investigation, according to police.
A further six have been handed fixed penalty notices, it is believed for public order offences.
Five others accepted cautions.
A boy of 17 ‘is being dealt with by the youth offending service,’ according to a police spokesman, who confirmed brief details of what action had been taken against those arrested following Saturday’s protest in St Peter’s Square.
The ‘Kill the Bill’ rally, protesting against the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, had taken place earlier in the afternoon on Saturday.
Footage shows the moment a line of Tactical Aid Unit officers walked towards, then through the group of demonstrators who were sitting on the tram tracks later in the day.
Some were forcibly removed by officers, as trams appeared to move in to cover the areas where they were sitting. A total of 18 people were arrested – 11 men and seven women between the ages of 17 and 27.
Police have since defended their decision to break up the protesters, after claims that the group refused to comply with instructions asking them to move away from the area.
Their response was backed by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and his deputy Bev Hughes.
“GMP had to manage a challenging situation carefully and we did not see a repeat of scenes seen in other parts of the country recently,” they said in a statement. It comes after protesters in Bristol on Friday became involved in violent clashes with police after a similar ‘Kill the Bill’ protest.
The protest began at St Peter’s Square and had remained ‘largely peaceful’ according to police.
Naheela Ashraf, co-chair of Stand up to Racism Manchester, said the atmosphere had been ‘fantastic’ and confirmed many protesters were wearing masks and that social distancing was maintained. Around 150 demonstrators marched through to Piccadilly Gardens, before arriving at Stevenson Square. The group returned to St Peter’s Square by late afternoon.
As the majority of protesters began to disperse, a very small group of people made their way on to the tram tracks.
GMP said the group were repeatedly asked to move by officers but some failed to comply with this order.
“In all events, we have used a particular emphasis on engagement, to work our way through the challenges presented to us,” a spokesperson for the force said. “Where this has been exhausted without success, we have moved to enforcement action where necessary.”
Ms Ashraf, and others attending the protest, said they believed the police’s response was ‘intimidating’ and ‘unnecessary.’
“The footage is clearly shocking – the idea that they (police) could do what they did,” she said.
A police spokesperson said: “Towards the end of the protest, a small group of protesters began to cause significant disruption. They blocked the tram tracks for around an hour, inconveniencing many people making essential journeys.
“The protesters were encouraged to move from the Metrolink line but some failed to comply. It was deemed appropriate for officers to move to enforcement action, and those who refused to comply were moved from the scene and where necessary, arrested.”