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‘Anti-lockdown protesters are selfish idiots who are an embarrassment to Bristol’
The highest ranking official in Avon & Somerset Police has been scathing in his condemnation of the estimated 400 people who protested anti-lockdown measures in Bristol on Saturday.
Chief constable Andy Marsh said protesters were “nothing short of a disgrace, from the criminally misguided to the plain stupid”.
The Stand Up Bristol demonstration was prohibited under current coronavirus restrictions, with the police and the city council warning organisers that it was not allowed.
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Thirteen people were arrested throughout the day, with four men and one woman now charged with offences including participating in a gathering of more than two people and failing to comply with the directions of officers.
Four men have been released on conditional bail, three men have been released under investigation to allow further enquiries to take place while another man has been detained under the Mental Health Act.
Those charged are due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on January 7 2021.
Marsh said: “I am proud of the way that my officers responded to this protest. In the face of violence and intimidation they conducted themselves with restraint, courage and professionalism. They are the best of us.
“These protesters are nothing short of a disgrace, from the criminally misguided to the plain stupid.
“Whilst the majority of our communities do their best to support each other through the Covid-19 pandemic, and our NHS and other essential workers make sacrifices to keep our society going and save lives, these selfish idiots are an embarrassment to Bristol.”
Main photo and video by Martin Booth
Read more: In photos: Bristol’s anti-lockdown rally
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