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25 people arrested so far after ‘kill the bill’ riot
Twenty-five people have now been arrested following an evening of rioting in Bristol after a ‘kill the bill’ march.
Police vehicles were set ablaze and there were running battles in the street on Sunday, March 21 – which proceeded two further nights of violence in the city on Tuesday and on Friday.
Nine men, aged between 19 and 44, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder during the course of the evening itself after crowds congregated outside Bridewell police station.
The two further evenings of violence have prompted multiple calls for an independent inquiry.
After an incident at a ‘kill the bill’ protest in Manchester at the weekend, mayor Andy Burnham says that he will ask Greater Manchester Police “to provide a full explanation of what happened”.
In a statement on Saturday, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees called the violence in Bristol “unwelcome”, adding: “We know (police) will review some of the incidents that occurred last night and ensure… standards are upheld.”
In his statement, Rees added that “of particular concern are the number of people travelling into our city to protest or to cause conflict. You can protest in your own town or village, without travelling to ours.”
Following the events of Sunday’s riot, four women, aged between 18 and 20, were arrested between Thursday and Friday, also on suspicion of violent disorder.
A further three people, two men and a woman aged between 21 and 30 were detained during Friday night also on suspicion of violent disorder. The two men were also arrested on suspicion of arson and the woman on suspicion of assault.
On Saturday, three men and two women aged between 19 and 30 were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder with one of the men also detained on suspicion of arson.
A man and woman were arrested on Sunday, while a man and woman were also arrested on Monday, with all four detained on suspicion of violent disorder.
Watch Bristol24/7’s footage of the evening of rioting:
Avon & Somerset Police senior investigating officer, DCI James Riccio, said: “Our investigation is continuing at pace and we continue to make significant progress in what is a really challenging inquiry.
“We’ve had fantastic support from the public so far and for that we’re incredibly grateful.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Debbonaire: ‘There is no excuse for this violence’
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