Ten people have been arrested following a protest and counter-protest held in Bristol city centre today (Saturday 8 August).
A policing operation was stood up in the early hours of this morning, with the first officers on the ground at Queen’s Square at 9am.
Counter-protesters gathered from 9.30am and protesters arrived from 10.30am.
The two protest groups on Bristol Bridge.
At its height, we estimate approximately 150 people making up the protest group and around 300 people with the counter-protest group.
The protest group then embarked on a march from Queen’s Square, stopping on Bristol Bridge and outside Bridewell Police Station for speeches before concluding at the Cenotaph.
Counter-protesters were also present at each location.
The following arrests were made from both the protest and counter-protest groups throughout the event:
A woman was arrested on suspicion of assault by beating
Three men were arrested under suspicion concealing their identity at a protest under Section 157 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026
One man was arrested for assault by beating and assaulting an emergency worker
One man was arrested for failing to provide details under Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 and on suspicion of concealing their identity at a protest.
One woman was arrested on suspicion of concealing their identity at a protest and on suspicion of threatening, abusive or insulting words/behaviour under Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986.
A man was arrested on suspicion of concealing their identity at a protest, obstructing a public highway and assaulting an emergency worker
One man was arrested on suspicion of intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986.
A man was arrested on suspicion of using threatening or abusive words/behaviour or acting in a disorderly way under Section 5 of the Public Order 1986.
We utilised around 300 police officers for this operation, including mutual aid from 10 different forces both regionally and further afield, making this the largest protest in the Avon and Somerset Police area since 2024.
The counter-protest on Welsh Back.
Silver commander Supt Karen Corrigan said: “First and foremost, I would like to thank and recognise the officers on the ground and those behind the scenes who enabled today’s protest and counter-protest.
“Protest policing is challenging, dynamic and ever-changing; one action or word can take a peaceful protest closer to disorder and our officers must quickly and effectively adapt and change.
“Today, we experienced pockets of disorder, especially at the Cenotaph, between officers and the counter-protesters and then between the two groups.
“It is important when two sides are protesting against each other to maintain a clear boundary between the two sides to allow each group to express their views safely and to prevent disorder.
“When one group tries to push through this clear boundary, officers must take proportionate actions and force to maintain the line and prevent disorder.
“Officers utilised the new Section 157 powers to order people to remove face coverings or similar. Our Bronze Commanders were also heard throughout the protest on loud hailers informing people on the new law and giving them the opportunity to remove them before taking action.
“This is a challenging law to carry out, especially when faced with such huge numbers of attendees, but the initial feedback from my Bronze Commanders is we were seeing fewer people with face coverings than we may have in previous protests.”
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