Bristol burns after peaceful protest turns into violent riot

A police helicopter continued to hover over Bristol city centre into the early hours of Monday morning.

On the streets below, it would have been able to see the burned out shells of police vehicles, metal fencing that had been used to attack police lines and broken bottles thrown by rioters.

An afternoon of peaceful protest turned into a violent riot as Bridewell Police Station came under sustained attack in shameful scenes.

There was mindless violence as well, with at least nine cars in the nearby Rupert Street car park having their windscreens smashed.

Thankfully, the name of the protest, Kill the Bill, was not taken literally. But two police officers were hospitalised on Sunday, one with a broken arm and the other with broken ribs.

Police and protesters come face-to-face outside Bridewell Police Station – photo: Martin Booth

The Kill the Bill protest took place in response to the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill.

The bill, which opponents claim ministers are rushing through parliament, would change how protests are policed and would make certain aspects of the Coronavirus Act permanent.

Hundreds of people gathered on College Green on Sunday afternoon and were initially led on their way for the protest march by a group of musicians.

There was a carnival atmosphere at times as the march snaked its way through the city centre, with police officers mostly only noticeable by their absence.

As the march came to an end, however, some protesters made their way back to Bridewell Police Station which they had made their way past earlier in the day and by the early evening was under siege.

Police initially formed two lines facing in opposite directions, with four horses facing the larger group of protesters on the Primark side of Rupert Street.

On the other side, some protesters sat down on the road in front of one line of officers in riot gear.

The first scuffles seen by Bristol24/7 broke out soon after 6pm as protesters pushed against police riot shields, with some officers hitting back with their batons.

Throughout the evening there were regular calls from rioters for water as people were pepper-sprayed.

Some protesters had climbed onto a ledge, where they wrote ‘fuck the police’ on the wall of the police station, later smashed a window and then threw rocks at the police below despite other protesters urging them not to with shouts.

One protester gives police the middle finger – photo: Martin Booth

As the sun began to set, police lines were pushed back and the protest became a riot.

The first fires were set underneath one tyre of a police van, which officers standing around the other side could put out with a fire extinguisher.

Police also stood firm when two young women squatted down in front of them in front of the police station and took selfies while relieving themselves on officers’ boots.

But they could do nothing – or decided to do nothing -when a mobile police station van on Bridewell Street was set alight.

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As one police car was burning on the corner of All Saints Street and Nelson Street, the crowd watched on, seemingly transfixed.

From around 8.30pm, police lines began to move forward, sometimes helped by dogs and horses – pushing the rioters back.

Roads were retaken from rioters, who regrouped ready for the next fight.

Some of the ugliest scenes from an evening of violence came on Nelson Street around 11pm, where rioters removed some of the Heras fencing protecting the scaffolding around The Station and used it as improvised weapons.

Heras fencing was used as an improvised weapon by rioters – photo: Martin Booth

Rioters pushed and kicked the fencing into police before turning on their heels when police dogs appeared.

Police lines prevented access to much of Bridewell Street, Silver Street, Rupert Street, Nelson Street & All Saints’ Street.

Only a few dozen protesters remained after midnight, with a few scuffles with police continuing as the police helicopter continued to circle overhead.

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Bristol reacts to Kill the Bill riot