At least nine cars in car park used by NHS workers are vandalised by thugs with their windows smashed during ‘Kill The Bill’ protest riot in Bristol
- Bristol saw violent protests against Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
- Standoff at police station saw protesters smash windows and set cop car on fire
- Nine vehicles, believed to be NHS staff cars, were smashed up at multi-story car park next to the station
- Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees condemned ‘self indulgent, self-centred people’
At least nine cars had the windscreens smashed in and vandalised as a wave of violent protest hit Bristol last night.
An angry mob had descended on Bridewell Police Station in the city centre to protest the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to strengthen policing powers.
Some of the group, which called themselves ‘Kill the Bill’, were seen smashing in windows and set police vehicles alight on Sunday.
The violence also spread to the nearby Rupert Street car park where a whole line of cars had been smashed up one after the other.
It has been reported that the cars belong to NHS workers, who often use the multi-storey facility while working at the nearby infirmary and children’s hospital.
A row of at least nine cars with their windows smashed in the Rupert Street car park in Bristol. All of the cars were parked in bays reserved for NHS workers
Around 5,000 activists, claiming to protect the right to demonstrate peacefully, had gathered in the city centre on Sunday for the demonstration to oppose plans to give police more powers to deal with non-violent protests.
But the march later turned violent, with some of the activists targeting police cars and buildings.
At least 20 officers were injured as the ‘mob of animals’ swarmed through the city.
Police headquarters came under siege as a group of hooded yobs armed with baseball bats tried to smash the windows of the glass-fronted New Bridewell station, as others attempted to scale the facade and some lobbed missiles at officers.
The city’s furious Mayor today slammed the ‘self-indulgent, self-centred revolutionary tourists looking for a conflict to take advantage of.’
Seven people have been arrested so far – six for violent disorder and one for possession of an offensive weapon.
A total of 20 officers were injured and two were taken to hospital suffering broken bones after being stamped on, pelted with stones and beaten with sticks in the violent skirmishes. One also suffered a punctured lung.
As a huge clean-up operation gets underway, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the so-called activists were ‘a group of people running around the country looking for any opportunity to enter into physical conflict with police or representatives of what they see as they establishment.’
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