Hundreds of protestors have gathered in Bristol city centre today
Paul Greaves Senior News Reporter
15:17, 05 Oct 2025Updated 15:24, 05 Oct 2025
There are chaotic scenes in Bristol this afternoon as police battle to keep two rivals protest groups apart.
Huge lines of police have been deployed to keep the protestors from conflict but video has captured a number of hostile encounters and skirmishes.
Police have been shouting warnings and pushing demonstrators to prevent them clashing. Hundreds are gathering against a backdrop of chanting, drumming, flag waving and flares.
Anti-immigration protesters (Image: Paul Gillis/BristolLive)
A line of police horses is currently positioned in front of protestors who have been kettled behind plastic barriers. The two groups are currently stood waving flags at one another and in their separate protest zones.
Ahead of the march, Avon and Somerset Police had drawn up a plan to try to keep the two sides apart and warned that people who don’t enter one of the four different ‘protest zones’ could be arrested or ordered to disperse.
Anti-immigration protesters (Image: Paul Gillis/BristolLive)
The march began at 2pm as campaigners began their way from the Cenotaph to College Green. But as the march was led past the Hippodrome to huge abuse from the counter protesters from both sides of the road, scuffles began breaking out.
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Counter protesters surged into College Green to approach the marchers who have been curtailed into their pen. Hundreds of counter protesters are now completely surrounding the marchers who themselves are surrounded with an inner ring of police.
Counter protesters in Bristol (Image: Paul Gillis/BristolLive)
A small group of mainly masked counter protesters, some wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf and flying the flag, waited near the Hippodrome for the scheduled march of around 60-80 from the ‘Bristol Patriots’ group to College Green.
Police confirmed that the protest group has now arrived at College Green and entered their designated zone. some have already started to leave. Counter-protesters have a separate protest zone and some have tried to block those leaving.
Around 25 flag waving Bristol Patriots are still effectively surrounded in an area in front of City Hall by hundreds of counter protesters. Another confrontation in the spot in front of City Hall where marchers had been quietly leaving has broken out.
Police said they continue to enable both groups to exercise their right to peaceful protest.