The contrast between Saturday's huge anti-lockdown demonstration in London and events in Bristol the following day couldn't be more stark. Saturday's march passed off peacefully with a good-natured crowd carrying inoffensive messages and no sign of the aggressive and course chants that are often whipped up at leftist protests. 24 hours later far left rioters smashed up Bridewell police station in Bristol, attacked police with fireworks, set several police vehicles on fire and smashed up private cars, including several parked in bays belonging to NHS workers.
The disparity between the anti-lockdown protest and the BLM/Antifa riot was also evident in the number of arrests. 33 people were arrested in London on Saturday, but only seven arrests were made in Bristol on Sunday.
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| A BLM slogan was daubed on the front of this car in Bristol |
Things turned ugly in Bristol around 17:30 and the red and black flag of Antifa could be seen as the crowd pushed against the police line. Anti-police graffiti was daubed on the police station walls and vehicles, including the BLM slogan 'defund the police'. Around 20 officers were injured during the riot.
Last year Avon and Somerset Police stood by and watched as a BLM mob tore down the statue of Edward Colston and again did nothing as it was rolled down to the harbour and dumped. A police chief at the time praised the actions of the mob in two interviews during the protests. See here and here.
Before the toppling of Colston statue, the Labour mayor and Bristol's four Labour MPs all 'took the knee'. Those politicians did not condemn that act and although they condemn the latest BLM violence, they did their part in facilitating it by legitimising a violent anti-police movement in the first place.
As we reported a few days ago, the far left are promising months of 'civil disobedience' as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill progresses through Parliament. This is just beginning.
