Mcb777 Affiliate'Kill The Bill' protest - Rioters could face attempted murder probe for police van fire as cops hunt 500 'extremists' | The Sun - Machibet Casino

RIOTERS at the 'Kill the Bill' protest in Bristol could face an attempted murder probe for trying to set a police van on fire while officers were inside.

Cops are hunting 500 “extremists” who “hijacked” the protest against the new policing bill on Sunday night, which saw over twenty police officers hurt in violent clashes with demonstrators.

A police van explodes outside Bridewell Police Station, BristolCredit: PA

Demonstrators stand near a burning police vehicle during last night's protest against a new proposed policing billCredit: Reuters

Protesters clashed with riot cops until the early hours of Monday morning and left over twenty officers injuredCredit: Splash

Some 21 officers were injured as a “mob of animals” laid siege to the city's Bridewell police station, throwing bricks and fireworks and setting fire to police vans.

One officer suffer a punctured lung and broken ribs while another had a fractured arm, police confirmed yesterday.

Nine vehicles in a car park used by key workers from Bristol Royal Infirmary also had windscreens smashed during the protest.

So far, police have made eight arrests - six for violent disorder and two for possession of an offensive weapon.

Inspector Andy Roebuck, chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: “They tried to set fire to a police van with officers inside.

“To my mind that is attempted murder. I spoke to two officers who said they genuinely feared they would be killed.

“We should not have to put up with this.”

Mr Roebuck claimed that the rioters had come armed with a substance that they sprayed on the face shields of riot police “so that they could not see properly and had to remove them”.

The rioters then “launched missiles at them and targeted isolated or vulnerable officers and then dragged them out”.

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He added: “You had 10 people attacking them, jumping up and down on them.”

Avon and Somerset Police's Chief Constable Andy Marsh said a “hardcore” of between 400 and 500 “serious criminals” were responsible for the carnage.

He added: “This will undoubtedly lead to one of the biggest appeals for wanted suspects that we've ever done.

“There will be significant consequences for behaviour like this and we will leave no stone unturned.”

Hundreds of people gathered at College Green in Bristol before marching to a police station on nearby Bridewell StreetCredit: Reuters

A woman is seen urinating on police at the Kill The Bill riot in Bristol last nightCredit: BPM

Protestors set fire to police vans during riots in Bristol last nightCredit: LNP

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said it was “people living out revolutionary fantasies”.

He condemned the "selfish and pathetic" rioters - including hundreds of serial troublemakers who came from outside the city.

The demo was promoted by Bristol Anarchist Federation and Extinction Rebellion.

Some yobs defecated at the feet of officers and shocking pictures show one woman urinating in front of police.

Images that emerged yesterday showed the protester pulling down her underwear with her back to a line of riot cops - then walking away leaving a puddle of wee on an officer's boot.

And another video showed two bare-bottomed women crouching at officers' feet and appearing to defecate.

They posed for selfies while squatting inches from the police, cheered on by a baying mob of rioters.

Boris Johnson branded the riot “unacceptable” and Home Secretary Priti Patel said “thuggery and disorder” would never be tolerated.

Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer said it was “inexcusable”. But rank-and-file cops blasted top brass for failing to stand up to mob rule.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: 'There was a hardcore of criminals within those 3,000 people'Credit: Getty

A protester kicks a smashed police station window during a 'Kill the Bill' protestCredit: PA

A demonstrator skateboards in front of a burning police vehicle during a protest against a new proposed policing billCredit: Reuters

Protesters set fire to a vandalised police van during 'disgusting scenes'Credit: PA

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give forces in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with fines or jail for those convicted.

Mass gatherings are currently banned because of the pandemic - but thousands turned up on Sunday night despite officers strongly advising against doing so.

Chief Constable Marsh said the numbers at the demonstration "very quickly" rose to as many as 3,000 people - while a group of 400 or 500 "were intent on violence, damage and criminality".

He told a number of the rioters "came for a fight with the police", adding: "It wasn't people frustrated with the lack of ability to protest.

"This was people intent on causing serious disorder, violence and damage, people with a grudge against the police."

Mr Marsh said there was no "prior intelligence" that any disorder was planned "on this scale".