News / Kill the Bill
Police pay damages to peaceful ‘kill the bill’ protesters
Police have paid damages to five people who were among a peaceful protest that was broken up by dozens of officers in full riot gear.
Protesters claim that they were assaulted by police officers who violently cleared them from College Green after a day of speeches, songs and art.
Avon & Somerset police confirmed to the Guardian that they had settled the claims but have not admitted liability. They dispute protesters’ accounts and insist officers’ actions on the evening of March 23 2021 were not unlawful.
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Bristol24/7 watched as police officers arrived in vans soon after 10pm, creating a ring around College Green that quickly tightened.
Several officers trampled over the flowers and candles left after a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard as they moved in to disperse the crowd.
Protesters were pushed back from College Green sometimes literally as officers used their riot shields against people, some of who remained sat on the grass.
Early the next morning, Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth was briefly detained by police on Anchor Road as he made his way home from the protest. He later received an apology.
Peaceful protesters on College Green on March 23 2021 before the arrival of riot police after dark – photo: Martin Booth
One of the protesters said that an officer struck him in the face with a riot shield on College Green. Another protester claimed that she struggled to breathe as two shields were pressed on her.
Flora Sidebottom, 23, Lee Guy, 34, and two others allege they were assaulted. Luke Wentworth, 33, said he was traumatised by the violence that he saw. All five argued that their legitimate right to protest was unlawfully curtailed.
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Read more:
- Riot police break up peaceful protest on College Green
- ‘Where is the condemnation from Bristol’s leaders about the actions of the police?’
- Police horses and riders honoured for parts played in ‘kill the bill’ protests
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A police spokesperson said: “We can confirm Avon and Somerset police has settled claims brought by five people in relation to the decision to disperse them from College Green, Bristol, on 23 March 2021, when Covid-19 restrictions were in place. Each of the settlements have been made without admission of liability.
“Several allegations were made as part of the various claims. Those allegations were denied by Avon and Somerset police and the settlements made without accepting liability.”
Avon & Somerset police claimed their actions to halt the protest were lawful under coronavirus regulations, but law firm Irwin Mitchell, which represented the protesters, argued that the police had failed to consider a number of issues.
Irwin Mitchell’s Gus Silverman said that “at its heart, this case is about the police failing to understand the significant legal protections afforded to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, particularly in the context of protests criticising government policy”.
Main photo & video: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Cathedral clergy criticise policing of ‘kill the bill’ protest on College Green
- ‘I calmly told police that I was a journalist but they said they didn’t believe me’
- Independent report on Bristol violence says police may have acted illegally
- Are Bristol’s ‘kill the bill’ protesters being made examples of by the state?
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