LONDON — Fourteen protesters have been arrested in Bristol, in southwestern England, at a rally to denounce a policing bill that would enact restrictions on peaceful demonstrations. The rally, part of a wider movement against the proposed legislation, came after clashes in the city on Sunday that left officers wounded and drew condemnation from officials.
About 200 people attended the protest on Tuesday night, far fewer than the thousands who took part in the demonstrations in Bristol on Sunday, but the gathering was broken up by the authorities, citing coronavirus restrictions. The protest was more subdued than the violent scenes days earlier. In footage shared online, protesters could be seen chanting “peaceful protest” and sitting in the street in front of police officers in riot gear.
The police said in a statement that reinforcements had been drafted after “efforts to encourage people to leave were unsuccessful.”
The police cited breaches of coronavirus rules and the obstruction of a highway as the reason for the arrests. One of the people arrested on Tuesday had also been held in connection with the violence on Sunday.
Claire Armes, chief superintendent of the Avon and Somerset police force, which covers Bristol, said, “After the scenes of violence witnessed in the city at the weekend, it was necessary to bring in additional resources from our neighboring forces to ensure the protest was safely brought to a swift conclusion.” Officers had asked protesters to move on, she said in a statement, but “there came a time when enforcement was necessary as gatherings are still not permitted.”
The latest demonstrations come as tensions rise in Britain over the bill, which would give the police sweeping powers to handle nonviolent demonstrations in England and Wales, among other measures. The bill has already passed one hurdle in Parliament and is now being assessed in detail by a committee before it returns for lawmakers to debate later this year.
The government maintains that the clauses directed at protests are intended to protect communities, but opposition lawmakers and rights groups say the measures give the police too much power to disperse peaceful demonstrations.
The clashes in Bristol on Sunday began after a peaceful rally in the city center turned violent when a small group began hurling fireworks and projectiles at officers. Two police vans were set on fire and property damaged. The police on Tuesday said that 21 officers had been wounded during that demonstration, including two seriously.
Marvin Rees, the mayor of Bristol, an opponent of the proposed legislation who has criticized the violence, said, “The consequences of what they’ve done is to increase the likelihood of that bill winning support.” He said agitators had hijacked a peaceful rally for their own purposes.
Demonstrations have been held across the country to protest the bill after it was thrust into the spotlight in the wake of the killing of Sarah Everard this month. Anger at the tactics used recently by the police to break up a vigil for Ms. Everard, 33, fanned calls for the proposed legislation to be scrapped.
In South London, near where Ms. Everard was last seen, squatters and activists have occupied a former police station to demand the withdrawal of the bill and more action to address violence against women.