Police, demonstrators clash at ‘Kill the Bill’ protest in UK

Police and protesters clashed after thousands of people descended in London as part of various demonstrations on Saturday.

Separate protests were held by Kill the Bill, Extinction Rebellion, and anti-lockdown rebels supported by Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Kill the Bill demonstrations took place in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol among other places.

The Metropolitan Police said that ten officers were left with minor injuries and 26 protesters were arrested. The proposed bill that protesters want to “kill” is the “Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill”. It would give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests – including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance -with those convicted liable to fines or jail terms.

Thousands turned up for the Kill the Bill protest alone, marching from Hyde Park to Westminster.

The protesters walked past Buckingham Palace and down to Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament.

There was an increased police presence around Whitehall and Downing Street, with a ring of officers around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill.

Once large numbers of demonstrators arrived at Parliament Square, many sat down on the green.

While most of the protesters dispersed, as the day wore on a minority stayed before facing off with police.