A rally against the new “Police and Crime Bill” in southwest England turned violent and left several police officers injured on Sunday
The “Police and Crime Bill” drawn up by the British government grants the police greater powers to stop and crackdown on disruptive protests. Mass gatherings are currently banned in England under coronavirus restrictions.
The demonstration turned violent when hundreds of protesters converged on a local police station.
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The clashes erupted in Bristol and resulted in two police vehicles were set on fire, damage was caused to a police station, one officer suffered a broken arm and another suffered broken ribs, Avon and Somerset police said, reported AFP.
John Apter, head of the police federation of England and Wales said, “Horrendous scenes in Bristol,”
He tweeted, “Number of officers badly injured, police vehicles damaged and a police station under attack. This is not protest, it’s just mindless violence,” he tweeted.
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Interior minister Priti Patel condemned the clashes as “unacceptable” on Twitter and further wrote that “Thuggery and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated.”
Darren Jones, a local MP from the opposition Labour Party, described the scenes as “completely unacceptable. You don’t campaign for the right to peaceful protest by setting police vans on fire or graffitiing buildings.”
“Avon and Somerset Police were on duty today to facilitate a peaceful protest not to deal with criminal behaviour,” he said.
An anti-lockdown rally in London on Saturday also left several police officers hurt and saw at least 36 people arrested.
