More Arrests Made Over Violent Disorder After ‘Kill the Bill’ Protest in Bristol

Demonstrators launch fireworks at police officers during a protest against a new proposed policing bill, in Bristol, Britain, on March 21, 2021. Peter Cziborra/Reuters

Two more people have been arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of violent disorder as a part of a large investigation into a protest-turned-riot in Bristol last Sunday that left a police station vandalised, vehicles burnt, and officers injured.

Avon and Somerset Police said they arrested a 20-year-old man and another man who was refusing to provide details.

The new arrests have brought the total number of arrests to nine, and two men remain in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.

In a previous statement issued on Monday, the police said eight people had been arrested. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed on Wednesday that one of these arrests is not connected with the riot on Sunday.

The investigation also found more officers to have been injured.

“The numbers of officers injured during Sunday night’s disorder has been increasing as we review footage and speak to those involved. Assaults against 40 officers have now been recorded, as well as one member of the media,” Avon and Somerset Police told The Epoch Times in an email.

Fortunately, further medical exams including a CT scan confirmed that the two officers who were more seriously injured—one thought to have had a broken arm and another thought to have suffered from broken ribs and a punctured lung—are not suffering from broken bones.

The police released images of 10 people on Tuesday evening to appeal to the public for identification.

“Through painstaking work to examine more than two terabytes worth of digital footage, we believe we’re making clear progress to identify those responsible and anticipate further images will be released soon to the online gallery we’ve set up,” Chief Superintendent Carolyn Belafonte said in a statement.

“One of the people we believe we’ve already identified is a suspect in the fire which destroyed a mobile community police station,” she added.

According to the police, seven of the nine people arrested had previously been released under investigation in relation to their arrest for violent disorder, and one of them—a 28-year-old man—has appeared in court on a charge of possessing an offensive weapon.

On Tuesday afternoon, police dispersed another 200-person protest, and arrested 14 people for offences including breaches of the COVID-19 restriction measures and obstruction of a highway.

“One of those detained were [sic] also arrested for offences connected with the violent disorder in the city on Sunday,” the police said in a statement.

Protests are currently illegal under the measures to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, until March 29, when the restriction will be loosened.

London police on March 13 clashed with mourners and protesters while trying to disperse a crowd at a vigil held for Sarah Everard, who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a police officer.

The clashes sparked days of protest against violence towards women, the police, the government’s restriction measures, and a new bill that would restrict the time and noise level of protests.

The new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill was introduced after several disruptive Black Lives Matter protests and Extinction Rebellion protests caused road closures, disruption of newspaper printing, and vandalism of statues last year.