Protests City councillor accuses police of violence

SOME officers policing Saturday's protests in Bristol have been accused of “violence’, with two Green Party city councillors taking to social media to voice their concerns.

- Ellie KENDALL [e-mail]

Anti-migrant protesters and hundreds of counter-protesters gathered in Castle Park and on Newgate, just outside the Galleries car park, for several hours on Saturday.

Part of Newgate was blocked by police vans in the afternoon as the two groups faced off. A huge number of police officers, including mounted officers on horseback, worked to keep the peace and formed a human wall between the groups before working to disperse them towards Broadmead.

Avon and Somerset Police said officers handled the situation “admirably” and the two protests “passed without significant incident’, with only a small number of people detained.

However, police have been accused of heavy-handed actions during the dispersal.

Councillor Ellie Freeman, who represents Bedminster, claimed on Facebook that “there was a lot of aggressive policing today” and invited anyone affected to file a complaint with the force.

She estimated around “250 antifascists and around 40 ‘patriots” to be in attendance and that “the whole day felt very messy and dangerous” as the crowd attempted to march towards Broadmead.