Hundreds march through Bristol in latest 'Kill the Bill' protest

  • ITV News Wales and West of England Correspondent Rupert Evelyn gives the latest on the Bristol protest


Hundreds of protesters peacefully marched through central Bristol in the city's latest 'Kill the Bill' protest.

Crowds began gathering on College Green from 6pm on Tuesday 30 March for an organised protest against the new Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill.

Protesters are gathering outside Bridewell Police Station which was the target fro vandalism during a previous protest.

It was the fourth protest against the bill to be held in Bristol in the space of 10 days, with a further event planned for the weekend as part of a national day of action.

With the easing of coronavirus restrictions on Monday 29 March, the latest demonstration was the first to be held lawfully.

After hours of sitting on the grass and hearing from speakers, at around 8.30pm the demonstrators began marching through the city towards Bridewell Police Station.

The station was where disorder erupted in previous days, seeing emergency services vehicles set on fire, fireworks let off and glass windows smashed.

Hundreds marched seemingly peacefully through the city.

Earlier in the evening Avon and Somerset Police said the crowd was peaceful and "positive dialogue" was being had between officers and demonstrators.

The force later tweeted to say there would be disruption to traffic as protesters started moving through the streets in large numbers.

In anticipation of the demonstration, First Bus cancelled all services from the City Centre and Broadmead.

Police warned road users traffic would be disrupted.

It comes after numerous clashes between protesters and officers during previous demonstrations where dozens were arrested and questions were raised about the use of force by police.


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