UK Police Praises Peaceful Outcome Of 4th 'Kill The Bill' Protest In Bristol

UK Police Praises Peaceful Outcome of 4th 'Kill the Bill' Protest in Bristol

The Bristol police has praised on Wednesday the peaceful outcome of the fourth protest against a bill that would give UK law enforcement more powers to restrict demonstrations, after previous rallies in the English city had ended up in riots and violent clashes between protesters and officers

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) The Bristol police has praised on Wednesday the peaceful outcome of the fourth protest against a bill that would give UK law enforcement more powers to restrict demonstrations, after previous rallies in the English city had ended up in riots and violent clashes between protesters and officers.

"We'd like to thank all those who engaged with us and to those who expressed their views in a peaceful and respectful manner. Now that restrictions around protest have changed, we wanted to press a reset button, and I believe we achieved this last night," superintendent Mark Edgington said in a statement released by the Avon and Somerset Police Department.

According to the police chief, liaison officers had a "very positive dialogue" with the hundreds of people that had gathered on Tuesday evening at College Green to march through the Bristol city center and the conversation facilitated the peaceful outcome of the protest.

"In terms of future events, we continue to urge people to engage with us as early as possible and have a conversation around how we can assist in ensuring lawful protests continue to take place," Edgington said.

The first so-called Kill the Bill rally in Bristol took place on March 21 with some 3,000 demonstrators. The march turned into violent clashes, with protesters throwing bottles and rocks at officers. They also set police vehicles on fire and smashed windows of a police station. Twenty-one officers were injured during the riot, with two of them remaining in serious condition, and 25 people have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill envisions increasing police powers to crack down on protests, tackle unauthorized encampments such as the ones set up by climate activists in the past and prevent the release of sexual and violent criminals once they have served half of their sentences. It will also seek to modernize courts and tribunals by updating existing court processes to provide better services for all court users and underpin open justice.

The controversial legislation was about to be voted on in the House of Commons after the murder of a young woman in London. Sarah Everard disappeared on the evening of March 3 while walking home after visiting some friends in Clapham, south of London. Her body was found hidden in a builder's bag in a woodland area in Ashford. Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens was charged with kidnapping the woman and killing her.