{"id":367359,"date":"2025-08-23T13:50:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/367359\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T13:50:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:50:41","slug":"police-clash-with-counter-protesters-in-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/367359\/","title":{"rendered":"police clash with counter-protesters in Bristol"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Bristol, multiple people have been arrested after police broke through the counter-demonstrators\u2019 front line. Officers have drawn their batons and are telling masked protesters to \u201cget back\u201d.<\/p>\n

Clashes flared up earlier as the police attempted to escort the anti-migrant protesters down the road, towards the city centre. Red flares were set off and the counter-demonstrators pushed back hard against officers.<\/p>\n

Several people were thrown to the ground as protesters rushed forward to fight with the police and prevent the anti-migrant demonstrators from leaving.<\/p>\n

The anti-migrant march later moved into Broadmead in the city centre. Dozens of anti-racist demonstrators rushed down the side roads to head them off.<\/p>\n

The planned anti-migrant march in Bristol has come to a complete standstill, as even with mounted units the police have not been able or willing to break through the opposing counter-demonstrators.<\/p>\n

Clashes between the anti-racist demonstrators and police officers have also calmed down for now, although the atmosphere is still tense.<\/p>\n

In the middle of the street, a small group of of about 40 anti-migrant protesters wave Union Jacks and listen to rock music.<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police officers scuffle with demonstrators in Bristol on Saturday<\/p>\n

BEN BIRCHALL\/PA<\/p>\n

Police keep the peace in Liverpool <\/p>\n

One little girl on her first trip to Liverpool asked her mother: \u201cAre these the good guys or the bad ones?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother replied: \u201cIt\u2019s not that simple. There are good and bad on both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n

A line of about 100 police officers now separates the protesters near Queen Square Centre. They have created more space between the rival factions.<\/p>\n

Some signs amid the Union Jacks read \u201cRejoin your local church,\u201d \u201cChrist the King\u201d and \u201cOnly God will judge us\u201d.<\/p>\n

Protests spread to Oxford and Perth \"Anti-migration<\/p>\n

Anti-migration protesters were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators in Perth<\/p>\n

IAIN MASTERTON\/ALAMY<\/p>\n

Protests are also taking place in several other towns and cities across the UK, including Oxford and Perth.<\/p>\n

In Oxford, about 100 people gathered both to protest against a migrant hotel and to launch a counter-protest. Police are also present. Activists have been arguing with each other but the protests do not appear to have descended into violence.<\/p>\n

In Perth, anti-migrant protesters appear to have been considerably outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. The Stand Up to Racism group said the anti-migrant protesters were \u201cdemoralised\u201d and had ended their demonstration.<\/p>\n

Police escort for counter-demonstrators in Horley<\/p>\n

In Horley, just after 1pm, the police blocked the road and began escorting the counter-demonstrators to the station.<\/p>\n

The anti-migrant crowd began following and taunting the group while they were escorted, and police stopped the crowd on a nearby roundabout which police have had to partially close to traffic. The anti-migrant protesters are shouting \u201cSend them home\u201d and \u201cGet out of our f*****g town\u201d.<\/p>\n

Police officers stood around the crowd of counter-demonstrators in the road in the middle of the roundabout as the two groups shouted at each other. Police directed traffic the other way.<\/p>\n

After about 15 minutes on the roundabout the police began escorting the counter-demonstrators away again. Police blocked the anti-migrant protesters from following them to the station. <\/p>\n

Protest on the move in Liverpool<\/p>\n

In Liverpool, tensions are rising as one group shouts \u201cNazi scum off our streets\u201d. There is hardly any room between the two sides now.<\/p>\n

Occasionally there are individual standoffs and heated debates. One man is carrying a Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n

More police officers have arrived, many carrying helmets. The protest is now on the move through the streets of the city.<\/p>\n

Police protect anti-migrant demonstrators in Bristol<\/p>\n

In Bristol, dozens of additional police officers have been brought in as back-up to protect the anti-migrant protesters from the counter-demonstration, many of whom are wearing face coverings, hats and sunglasses and are fighting with the police.<\/p>\n

Five mounted officers are still deployed and are pressing forward into the counter-demonstrators, who are attempting to hold their ground.<\/p>\n

The anti-migrant protesters have still been unable to set off on their march because of the scale of opposition.<\/p>\n

Children and parents at Horley demonstration\"A<\/p>\n

A demonstrator outside the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Horley<\/p>\n

JACK TAYLOR FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Among those demonstrating against the Gatwick hotel are children with their parents. One woman had a pushchair with twin girls. Some of the counter-protesters are wearing masks.<\/p>\n

The Sheraton Four Points hotel has been used by the Home Office as a migrant hotel for at least four years, according to some of the protesters.<\/p>\n

A large green fence with fake green leaves, obscuring the view of the hotel, was recently put up at the front of the hotel grounds.<\/p>\n

One couple at the protest said the hotel backed onto their garden and they want the council to challenge its legality in court, as has happened in Epping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They recently put their house up for sale and said some people looking around it told them they did not want to move there after spotting the asylum hotel.<\/p>\n

Taunts and chants at Horley, near Gatwick\"A<\/p>\n

A Stand Up To Racism protester and an anti-migrant demonstrator clash at Horley<\/p>\n

GARETH FULLER\/PA<\/p>\n

Just after midday a crowd of anti-migrant protesters faced off with counter-protesters at a roundabout outside a Gatwick airport hotel used to house asylum seekers.<\/p>\n

About 200 men, women and children heckled about 50 counter-demonstrators standing on the roadside outside the hotel.<\/p>\n

Dozens of police officers are now standing between the two groups, separating them by about 50 metres as anti-migrant demonstrators gather the other side of the busy Brighton Road, in Horley, West Sussex.<\/p>\n

While the counter-protesters chanted \u201cRefugees are welcome here\u201d, \u201cStop deportations\u201d and \u201cNazi scum off our streets\u201d, the anti-migrant crowd called them \u201ctraitors\u201d, chanted \u201cWhose streets? Our streets\u201d, \u201cMass deportation is needed\u201d and sang about Tommy Robinson<\/a>. They were also chanting \u201cpaedos\u201d at the counter-demonstrators.<\/p>\n

Fist fights between police and counter-protesters\"The<\/p>\n

The police are separating the two sides in Bristol<\/p>\n

BEN BIRCHALL\/PA<\/p>\n

In Bristol, the anti-migrant protesters are attempting to march, flanked by large numbers of police officers and mounted units. The horses are attempting to push forward but the large crowds of counter-demonstrators are standing their ground.<\/p>\n

Fist fights are breaking out between officers and the counter-demonstrators. The anti-racist crowd is chanting \u201cShame on you\u201d, and \u201cPolice protect the fascists\u201d as they press forward.<\/p>\n

Avon and Somerset police are being bolstered with units from a Welsh police force.<\/p>\n

Fighting breaks out in Bristol\"Mounted<\/p>\n

Mounted police were deployed at Castle Park<\/p>\n

DOMINIC HAUSCHILD FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

In Bristol, significant fighting has broken out between the police and anti-fascist demonstrators as the anti-migrant group attempted to leave.<\/p>\n

Mounted officers have been brought in to control the crowd who are attempting to break through their ranks to get at the nationalist protesters.<\/p>\n

Bristol\u2019s counter-protesters outnumber demonstrators\"Castle<\/p>\n

Castle Park in Bristol, where the two sides taunted each other<\/p>\n

DOMINIC HAUSCHILD FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n

A brief scuffle broke out between the police and the anti-racist contingent in Bristol, many of whom are wearing bandanas and face masks. One protester was pinned against a wall and then led off by officers.<\/p>\n

Avon and Somerset police appear to have bolstered their numbers with additional officers, as both sides taunt and swear at each other through their ranks.<\/p>\n

There are around 40 anti-migrant protesters, mainly middle-aged men and women waving St George Cross flags, and at least 300 counter-demonstrators drowning them out.<\/p>\n

Protests ramp up after High Court ruling<\/p>\n

This week the High Court ruled that a council could remove asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, Essex.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday Epping Forest district council was granted a temporary injunction which effectively ordered the closure of the Bell Hotel from September 12.<\/p>\n

\u2022 What does the Epping council decision mean for migrant hotels?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The decision threw the government\u2019s asylum strategy into turmoil and on Friday the Home Office announced it would appeal the ruling.<\/p>\n

Protests had been held outside the Bell Hotel since early July, after an asylum seeker was charged with trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl. The suspect denies the allegation.<\/p>\n

Farage sets out mass deportation plan\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Nigel Farage said he would take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights<\/p>\n

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE<\/p>\n

Nigel Farage has vowed to remove hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers as part of a five-year \u201cmass deportation\u201d plan for Britain under a Reform UK<\/a> government.<\/p>\n

Farage, the Reform UK leader, said the \u00a310 billion policy would lead to five charter flights leaving the country every day under emergency legislation known as the Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill.<\/p>\n

The bill would stop migrants coming to the UK on small boats claiming asylum and allow them to be held in detention centres on \u201csurplus\u201d RAF bases while awaiting deportation.<\/p>\n

Farage said he would take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights and derogate from the UN Convention Against Torture and other international agreements.<\/p>\n

Read in full here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tiktokers mingle with the crowd in Liverpool<\/p>\n

In Liverpool the crowds are building on both sides, but there are still more counter-demonstrators \u2014 about 300 in total. One man dressed in black is waving an anti-fascist flag and flashing two fingers at those opposite.<\/p>\n

More than 50 anti-migrant protesters have now gathered, brandishing Union Jacks and giant Ukip flags. There are signs saying \u201cStop the boats\u201d and \u201cIllegal criminals\u201d alongside \u201cVote Ukip\u201d placards. Only a few feet separate the two sides as the chanting continues.<\/p>\n

Tiktokers mingled with the crowds on both sides filming the demo.<\/p>\n

\u2018Liverpool is a multicultural city\u2019<\/p>\n

In Liverpool, Gaynor Kingsley, 62, held her husband\u2019s hand as she held up a placard saying \u201cStop the far right\u201d.<\/p>\n

She told The Times: \u201cWe don\u2019t want Liverpool to be a racist city. A cohesive England would be better. It\u2019s sad to see this. We\u2019re such a multicultural city \u2014 I don\u2019t know why these people are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kingsley added: \u201cIt\u2019s our city. We\u2019ll decide who comes here and wrap our arms around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

UK is facing \u2018massive crisis\u2019, Farage says<\/p>\n

Nigel Farage said in an interview with The Times<\/a> that the UK was facing a \u201cmassive crisis\u201d because of illegal immigration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not only posing a national security threat but it\u2019s leading to public anger that frankly is not very far away from disorder,\u201d Farage, the Reform UK leader, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is only one way to stop people coming into Britain and that is to detain them and deport them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farage claimed that Britain was \u201cgoing downhill very, very quickly\u201d and said he believed he was the man to turn the country around, if elected prime minister.<\/p>\n

Protests across the country on Friday<\/p>\n

More than 250 demonstrators blocked a road and set off red flares near a hotel in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, on Friday.<\/p>\n

The crowd outside the Marriott hotel included families with young children, groups of men and women wearing Union Jack T-shirts, and a female anti-migrant campaign group known as the Pink Ladies, whose members insisted they were \u201cnot far-right, just on the right side of history\u201d.<\/p>\n

Other protests took place outside hotels in Chichester, Portsmouth, Altrincham, and Leeds. Demonstrators also gathered near an airport hotel in Cardiff which houses families of Afghans who were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK for their assistance to British forces fighting the Taliban.<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

Protesters outside the Britannia Hotel in Leeds were met with a large police presence<\/p>\n

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES GLOSSOP<\/p>\n

Counter-protesters out in force in Bristol<\/p>\n

The crowd in Bristol is bordered by two lines of police officers. Surrounding them on both sides is a significantly larger crowd of counter-demonstrators, who chanted slogans and waved placards that said: \u201cRefugees are welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the crowd of counter-demonstrators were people waving an antifascist flag, an Extinction Rebellion flag and a Young Communist League banner.<\/p>\n

Last night, Avon and Somerset police issued a dispersal order for the city centre. A spokesman said the force had \u201cplans in place to enable peaceful protest\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u2018Bristol Patriot\u2019 group plays Rule, Britannia<\/p>\n

In Bristol, about two dozen anti-migrant protesters have begun to form up in Castle Park, in the city centre. <\/p>\n

The demonstration has been organised by a group called \u201cBristol Patriots\u201d, who have distributed a handful of St George flags and pre-made signs that read: \u201cStop the boats, deport illegals now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over speakers, the protesters are playing Rule, Britannia, followed by Sweet Caroline.<\/p>\n

Anti-racism protesters gather in Liverpool<\/p>\n

About a dozen police vans were in place around Liverpool\u2019s St George\u2019s Hall ahead of today\u2019s march. Uniformed officers also stood together in small groups around the historic building.<\/p>\n

Some 200 anti-racism protesters were surrounded by police. They chanted \u201cAnti-fascists\u201d and \u201cRefugees welcome \u2014 open the borders. No deportations.\u201d <\/p>\n

They carried placards and signs reading \u201cSmash the Far Right\u201d and chanted: \u201cWhose city? Our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

A handful of people carrying Ukip flags and Union Jacks were on the other side. One man carried a distinctive purple and yellow Ukip flag on a tall pole, and below it the red and white of a St George standard.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations expected across the country<\/p>\n

More than a dozen protests are due to take place over the weekend across England, Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n

Protests have already begun in Liverpool, Bristol and Perth, with counter-protesters outnumbering people demonstrating against migrant hotels.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations are expected in Canary Wharf in central London as well as Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Wakefield, Newcastle, and Horley in Surrey.<\/p>\n

Further protests will be held in Aberdeen and Mold in Flintshire, Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Bristol, multiple people have been arrested after police broke through the counter-demonstrators\u2019 front line. Officers have drawn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[5108,381,748,60055,128628,393,4884,24847,256,9461,529,2579,16,15,6095],"class_list":{"0":"post-367359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-asylum","9":"tag-bristol","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-clash","12":"tag-counter-protesters","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-hotel","16":"tag-in","17":"tag-live","18":"tag-police","19":"tag-protests","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-with"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115078406493351671","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}