SHOW OF SUPPORT
Protesters gather outside city police station ‘in solidarity with Bristol’
AGATHERING took place outside Cardiff’s main police station on Friday evening to protest at the UK Government’s controversial new policing bill.
A group of approximately 60 protesters gathered outside Cardiff central police station at 6pm in a show of solidarity for “Kill the Bill” protesters in Bristol.
The protesters in Cardiff could be heard chanting “Black lives matter” and “kill the bill”, referencing the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently making its way through UK Parliament.
“We stand in solidarity with Bristol,” said one protester, discussing the protests in the English city that have made headlines around the world in the past week.
“We support any actions used by the protesters.”
Protesters in Bristol gathered last Sunday. Around 5,000 people came together on the central College Green at 2pm, but by 6pm there were several thousand outside Bridewell Police Station, Bristol Live reported.
Riot police and protesters fought battles on two fronts outside the police station.
Protesters smashed a window of the police station with a skateboard and managed to get onto the first floor of the station and rained down missiles on the police, who lined up to defend the entrance of the building. Images of a police van set alight by protesters also appeared in news coverage across the world.
The Bristol event followed on from a number of Kill The Bill protests in Wales last weekend, which took place in Cardiff, Bangor and Wrexham without incident.
The protests have been dubbed Kill The Bill in reference to the attempts to stop the UK Government’s proposed law to give police and the Home Secretary increased powers to stop protests.
The Bill also makes a special new law to protect monuments and statues, in the wake of the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston, with the crime of damaging them punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
It has been criticised by many campaign groups and opposition politicians, including Labour figures such as David Lammy.
Another key point of contention from the protesters in Cardiff on Friday was the fact that police officers from some Welsh forces were present at the Bristol protests.
The crowd also challenged South Wales Police on its handling of the death of Mohamud Hassan.
Mr Hassan, 24, died on January 9 after being held in police custody in Cardiff overnight. A total of four South Wales Police officers have been served misconduct notices as a result of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into his death. Protesters on Friday night chanted: “Say his name – Mohamud.”
Representatives of Mr Hassan’s family have been calling for documents about his final hours to be made available to them as well as police bodyworn camera footage of his arrest in Cardiff on Friday, January 8, and other footage of his arrest and his time in custody overnight in Cardiff Bay Police station.
During Friday’s Kill the Bill protests, the crowd could be heard chanting: “Release the footage.”
Mr Hassan was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was released without charge at around 8.30am on the morning of Saturday, January 9. He was found dead shortly after 10.30pm that night at a property on Newport Road, Roath.
It was stated in the Senedd at the time of his death that witnesses had reportedly been shocked by Mr Hassan’s condition following his release from custody, saying his tracksuit was covered in blood and that he had severe injuries and bruising.
Last month, over three consecutive days, hundreds of people protested outside Cardiff Bay police station demanding information about the series of events that led to Mr Hassan’s death.
Speaking earlier this month, IOPC Director for Wales, Catrin Evans, said: “In the course of an investigation, where an indication arises that an officer may have breached professional standards that may warrant a disciplinary sanction, we serve a disciplinary notice to advise them they are subject to investigation.
“We have updated Mr Hassan’s family and South Wales Police about the further misconduct notices. We keep misconduct notices under review during the course of an investigation. At the conclusion the IOPC decides whether any officer under notice has a disciplinary case to answer.
“As I have urged before, an investigation like this does take time and we would ask people to be patient while the investigation runs its course.”