A councillor says she was thrown to the floor
Protesters in Bristol city centre (Image: PA)
A councillor has alleged she was thrown to the floor by police acting like ‘hired thugs’ during protests in Bristol over the bank holiday weekend.
Lisa Stone, who represents Windmill Hill for the Green Party, said she could easily have suffered a serious injury in the incident during the migration protests and counter protests which took place in the city on Saturday (Aug 23).
“I was very disappointed with the way the police handled the protest, they should have protected the public and not thrown their weight around acting like hired thugs,” she said. “I was literally picked up and thrown to the ground, (and) could have easily smashed my head on the road.”
“This was uncalled for, if the police thought to manage the situation in a responsible way they would have escorted them back into the park, then allowed them to leave in peace.”
Most of the clashes occurred around Castle Park and Broadmead(Image: Ellie Kendall/BristolLive)
Cllr Stone is one of four Greens councillors to allege heavy-handed treatment on the part of police, including physical violence.
Lorraine Francis (Eastville ward) was on the anti-racist march and said: “I was appalled at the tactics deployed by police. Who briefed the officers? This is unforgiveable.”
Ani Townsend (Central) and Ellie Freeman (Bedminster) had earlier accused police of similar behaviour. A 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker during the clashes between anti-migrant demonstrators and counter-protesters in Castle Park. She has since been released under investigation.
Cllr Lisa Stone, a Bristol city councillor for the Green Party, alleged she had narrowly escaped injury during the clashes(Image: Lisa Stone)
Bristol Stand Up to Racism, a group which helped organise the counter-protests, said it was ‘appalled’ at the behaviour of the police, adding that some of their members had been targeted with undue force by officers.
The group alleged police officers had kicked at least two of their demonstrators, and said a pensioner in attendance was ‘violently pushed’ over by a police officer.
Chief Superintendent Mark Edgington said his officers faced a ‘really challenging situation’ and alleged several other assaults on officers were recorded, other than by the woman who was arrested.
“We are aware of some criticism relating to our actions and we have already put steps in place to review footage we recorded on Saturday and for any issues identified to be acted on accordingly,” he said.
“Separately, our Professional Standards Department has received five complaints relating to events on Saturday. Work to process them is being prioritised.”
When the PSD processes a complaint, the department checks to make sure the person who submitted a complaint witnessed an event themselves, or was complaining on behalf of someone who did.
Chief Superintendent Edgington also said police officers treated both protesters and counter-protesters equally.
In an earlier statement, Cllr Townsend accused the police of ‘facilitating’ the actions of the far right.
“A right to free speech and protest does not mean a right to intimidate people, it is shameful that Avon & Somerset Police chose to facilitate those that wish to cause fear in a City of Sanctuary,” they said. “Police actively escalated tensions and violence to the point of physically hurting those who sought to defend the most vulnerable who came here seeking protection.”
Cllr Townsend confirmed they and their fellow Greens councillors intended to make ‘multiple’ complaints to the police regarding how the protests were handled.
There have been a series of protests and counter-demonstrations in Bristol regarding asylum seekers in recent months, with the number of pro-migrant demonstrators significantly outweighing the amount of anti-asylum seeker protesters on each occasion.
There have been similar scenes in towns and cities around the country as the debate around the government’s use of hotels to house asylum seekers has become increasingly toxic.
The High Court ruled in favour of Epping Forest District Council, in Essex, after the council applied for an injunction preventing asylum seekers being housed in a hotel in its jurisdiction.
Bristol City Council has confirmed it has no plans to follow suit.
“Bristol is a long-established place of sanctuary,” Council Leader Tony Dyer, also from the Greens, said. “We are a diverse city and are proud to welcome and provide safety for people seeking sanctuary from a wide range of backgrounds.”