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UK demonstrations against new laws that will heavily limit the right to protest have hit several UK cities. /Phil Noble/Reuters.
Violence and arrests continued to dog "Kill the Bill" protests in the UK over the weekend, as thousands of demonstrators rallied across the country against new police powers.
Police detained at least 18 people in Manchester during one of several rallies on Saturday against legislation that will heavily limit the right to peaceful protest. A day earlier in Bristol, violence erupted for a second weekend in a row as thousands gathered to demonstrate against the bill.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has criticized what he called the "disgraceful attacks" on police officers during the rallies. However, activists have accused police of using excessive tactics, adding that they will not back down until the legislation is revised.
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Despite a government ban on mass gatherings owing to COVID-19, more than 1,000 people came together in Bristol on Friday afternoon to decry the new restrictions on public gatherings.
The city in southwest England has become a center for pushback against the new restrictions, with clashes between activists and law enforcement last weekend culminating in several police vehicles being set on fire.
Friday's rally was largely peaceful, but after dark, police with batons and shields moved in to break up the crowds, charging demonstrators with horses and forcibly removing the activists from the streets.
Police officers hold their shields as demonstrators take part in a protest against a newly proposed policing bill in Bristol. /Hannah McKay/Reuters
Activists on the ground accused officers of sparking the violence and using excessive force. Protesters later posted pictures on social media showing severe injuries they say were inflicted by police.
Matthew Dresch, a journalist reporting on the protests for the
Daily Mirror
newspaper, filmed a policeman hitting him as he shouted "What are you doing? I'm press."
Police officials have said they're looking into the incident, but have defended the general actions of their officers.
Superintendent Mark Runacres of the Somerset and Avon police force said: "The majority of people acted peacefully. However there was a minority who once again showed hostility to officers."
Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against a newly proposed policing bill in Bristol. /Hannah McKay/Reuters
"Items including glass bottles and bricks were thrown at officers, fireworks were launched at our mounted section while one of our horses was also covered with paint.
"This violent conduct is not acceptable. Officers repeatedly encouraged people to disperse but once the atmosphere changed and people became physical it was necessary to take action."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter on Saturday to back the police. "Last night saw disgraceful attacks against police officers in Bristol," he wrote.
"Our officers should not have to face having bricks, bottles and fireworks being thrown at them by a mob intent on violence and causing damage to property," he added. "The police and the city have my full support."
However, Bristol's police force is facing criticism for exaggerating protester violence after it was forced to admit that it had wrongly claimed that some officers had suffered broken bones last Sunday.
CLICK THE ARROWS BELOW TO SEE THE MANCHESTER PROTEST PICTURE GALLERY
Violence has broken out at several of the Kill the Bill rallies. /Phil Noble/Reuters
18 people were arrested in Manchester on Saturday at a #KillTheBill protest. /Phil Noble/Reuters
The new legislation – the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill – would give police new powers to impose time and noise limits on street protests. /Phil Noble/Reuters
Activists have accused officers of brutality and using excessive tactics during the rallies. /Phil Noble/Reuters
UK prime minister Boris Johnson has condemned alleged violence by protesters against law enforcement as "disgraceful". /Phil Noble/Reuters
Nationwide protests
Some 13 protests against the bill were planned across Britain on Saturday, with opponents of the new bill gathering in Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff, Winchester, Bath, Portsmouth, Lancaster, Nottingham and Kingston-upon-Thames.
In Manchester, a peaceful demonstration where protesters lay down on tram tracks ended with police arresting 18 people for disrupting the transport network.
Earlier, the protesters had walked through the city center, taking the knee in front of a mural of George Floyd, the African-American man whose death in the U.S. last year at the hands of the police sparked a global wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
Police in Brighton faced off with protesters who had blockaded the road outside a downtown police station, with the crowd peaking at up to 300 people.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give police new powers to impose time and noise limits on street protests, essentially allowing any demonstration that causes disruption to carry a heavy prison sentence.
This week's protests follow
outrage over the UK police's handling of a vigil
for a woman who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a member of the same force.
