News / Kill the Bill
Protesters chased by police dogs through Castle Park at latest ‘kill the bill’ protest
It took more than an hour for a line of police to push ‘kill the bill’ protesters back along Baldwin Street from the Centre towards Castle Park.
As the line slowly moved forwards, a few of the youngest protesters took selfies in front of officers.
The line stopped next to Bristol Bridge and soon before 1.30am on the morning of Easter Sunday, protesters were chased into Castle Park by police dogs, drawing the day’s events to a swift conclusion as the last remaining people dispersed via exits of the park including near Union Street and Old Market roundabout.
is needed now More than ever
https://www.facebook.com/bristol247/videos/437010704046329
It was an adrenalin-filled end to a stop-start day of protest which began on College Green on Saturday afternoon with the fourth ‘kill the bill’ march attended by an estimated 1,500 people, encompassed a street party on the Centre and saw the M32 brought to a standstill.
The party on the Centre began after the conclusion of speeches on the new section of road linking St Augustine’s Parade to Baldwin Street.
When the speeches finished, the music began; and when a number of people got tired of the party and wanted to protest, there commenced a long walk around Bristol which at its furthest extent saw police prevent around 100 people from getting any further than junction three of the M32.
Police prevented protesters from reaching the M32 – photo: Martin Booth
So they turned around and walked back to town, taking in areas including Stokes Croft and St Paul’s along the way before returning to the Centre and sitting in the road again, preventing cars from getting by.
Groups of people sat in the road until around 12.30am on Sunday, with some people fighting among themselves like scenes from chucking-out time outside a disreputable pub.
In a tweet from the official Avon & Somerset Police account at 12.44am, they said that a Section 35 Dispersal Order was put in place following “a number of incidents involving violence between the remaining protestors”.
Police officers – who this time, unlike previous occasions, were not dressed in riot gear – began moving protesters along Baldwin Street, making seven arrests along the way, before the arrival of the dogs brought the day’s protest to an end.
Dozens of police stretch the width of Baldwin Street as the last of the protesters are chased into Castle Park – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Phil Riley
Read more: Second annual School of Activism takes place over Easter holidays
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
