“We will not accept any form of hate, discrimination, or violence”
Police have enacted special extra powers to deal with a protest march and counter-protest in Bristol city centre on Saturday amid fears of a repeat of the confrontational scenes the last time a group calling itself ‘Bristol Patriots’ marched.
Avon and Somerset Police has enacted two powers in a geographical area covering the whole of the city centre from the docks to the Bearpit, ahead of the march by the Bristol Patriots.
The group said they intend to gather at the Cenotaph at 11am on Saturday morning, and at noon stage a march from there to Broadmead and Castle Park, before returning to the Cenotaph.
They are billing their march as ‘Enough is Enough’, and against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. A counter-protest of anti-racism groups in Bristol has pledged to outnumber the Bristol Patriot marchers, and have called their counter-protest, which will gather at the Cenotaph from 10am, ‘We Hate Keir Starmer More Than You’.
The police have been granted extra powers to be able to arrest anyone who refuses to take off a mask or anything that officers believe is being worn to conceal their identity.
A second power is a special anti-social behaviour dispersal order, giving the police the power to disperse crowds or individuals from a specific area. Both powers will be in place in the city from 8am to 6pm on Saturday.
READ MORE: Bristol Patriots plan march through city centre againREAD MORE: Bristol counter protesters surrounded to ‘prevent breach of the peace’
“The policing operation we have in place follows well-rehearsed plans that enable protest to take place lawfully and peacefully, while protecting the interests of the public,” said Neighbourhood Policing Acting Inspector Sean Underwood.
“We will have specialised units deployed and will utilise additional police powers to mitigate against any potential disorder, and we will be in close contact with our partners and stakeholders to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum,” he added.
“The authorities that have been put in place are designed to ensure anyone who wants to protest is free to do so, but we wish to make it clear to all that we will not accept any form of hate, discrimination, or violence. Where anyone breaks the law, officers will take action,” he said.
With the route of the march thought to be from the Cenotaph and into the city centre, the police do not appear to be attempting to stop counter-protesters from gathering in its path. Back in early October, police tried and failed to disperse hundreds of people who had gathered on The Centre, in the path of the Bristol Patriots’ planned march from the Cenotaph to College Green.
That led to scenes of angry confrontation as the Bristol Patriots marched through counter-protesters on either side of the route, outside the Hippodrome.
On Saturday, the exact route of the proposed march is unclear, but the Bristol Patriots intention appears to be to head into Broadmead and Castle Park in a circular route that could take in Union Street, Broadmead and Baldwin Street.