A senior officer hopes last night's march has "pressed the reset button" on the relationship between police and protesters in Bristol.
Avon and Somerset Police has shared a statement this morning (Wednesday, March 31) following the Kill the Bill demonstration last night, when hundreds of people marched through the city centre.
The protest broke the pattern of clashes that had emerged during Kill the Bill protests in Bristol last week, when riot police forcibly dispersed crowds and violence broke out.
It passed peacefully with police intervention at a minimum, as people made their opposition known to the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Police said between 200 and 300 people gathered for the protests at College Green from 6pm, although Bristol Live reporters at the scene estimated slightly more as the march got going at about 8.30pm.
On Monday the change in lockdown rules lifted the ban on protests, which are now an exemption to the rules on large gatherings if organisers take precautions to protect against coronavirus.
'Press reset'
Supt Mark Edgington said: "Now that restrictions around protest have changed, we wanted to press a reset button, and I believe we achieved this last night.
"We have a long and proud history of facilitating peaceful protests spanning many years and today was a prime example of this.
"In terms of future events, we continue to urge people to engage with us as early as possible and have a conversation around how we can assist in ensuring lawful protests continue to take place."
Hundreds of protesters sat down outside Bridewell Police Station at about 9.30pm and a smaller group stayed there beyond 1am this morning.
During the first Kill the Bill protest on Sunday, March 21, rioting began as night fell with police vans torched and fireworks let off in the street.
The police force said afterwards that two officers had suffered broken bones during the disorder, but this statement was retracted following further medical examination, with the injuries not as serious as first thought.
A group of protesters taking part in the march last night held a large banner that read: "How many broken bones."
However, despite returning to the scene of Sunday's disorder, the demonstration remained calm and some people even sat in meditation poses in an apparent display of peace.
Supt Edgington said: "From the outset we had a very positive dialogue with those gathering at College Green, led by our police liaison officers.
"We were committed to facilitating a peaceful protest in line with the COVID-19 legislation.
"We’d like to thank all those who engaged with us and to those who expressed their views in a peaceful and respectful manner."
