LONDON (AP) – Police in Bristol, England, say they have arrested 10 people during a third night of protest against a new police law.
Hundreds of protesters against the police, crime, conviction and courts Bill organized a sit-down protest outside a police station in the town of southwest England on Friday night, and some fought with cops in helmets and shields trying to break the rally.
Avon and Somerset police said on Saturday that eggs, bottles and stones were thrown at officers and that a police horse had been smeared with paint.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned what he called “disgraceful attacks on Bristol police officers.”
“Our agents should not be confronted with rocks, bottles and fireworks thrown at them by a mob out to commit violence and damage property,” he said on Twitter. “The police and the city have my full support.”
The controversial bill, currently under discussion in parliament, gives the police more powers to limit protests. Two other “Kill the Bill” demonstrations against the legislation in Bristol this week also saw clashes. Police blamed a minority of the troublemakers among the largely peaceful protesters.
But some blame the force of a crackdown and exaggerating the extent of the injuries to officers. Police initially alleged that two fractures were sustained in a protest that turned into a riot on Sunday. Police later said none of the officers had fractures, but 40 were slightly injured.
Police Commissioner Mark Runacres said officers “showed exceptional patience with a serious condition” and had used “reasonable force”.
Police behavior and priorities in Britain have come under scrutiny following the death of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old London woman who disappeared on March 3 while walking home from a friend’s house. A serving police officer has been charged with her murder.
Tensions rose when police broke a vigil in memory of Everard for violating coronavirus restrictions that made mass rallies impossible.