Labour MP Nadia Whittome REFUSES to condemn Bristol protesters

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A Labour MP today refused to condemn protesters who went on a rampage through Bristol setting police vehicles on fire and leaving 20 officers injured. 

Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome said she wished ‘everyone who has been hurt a speedy recovery’ but insisted she will not ‘condemn protesters until we know exactly what happened’ – calling for an investigation into the police response.

The comments came despite Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour mayor of the city and a host of other senior figures branding the events ‘inexcusable’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.

Appearing on the BBC’s Politics Live, Ms Whittome – at 24 the youngest MP in Parliament – was pressed repeatedly by host Jo Coburn on whether she would condemn the scenes. 

‘Of course Jo I don’t want to see violence against anybody. I wish everybody who’s been hurt in this a speedy recovery,’ Ms Whittome said.

‘As I’ve already said, I am not going to get into the business of condemning protesters until we know exactly what happened.’

Coburn said it was ‘quite clear’ in the footage that people were setting fire to police vans and ‘attacking the police’.

‘Do you just want to straightforwardly say that was wrong?’ the presenter said.

But Ms Whittome replied: ‘I don’t want to see violence being perpetrated against anybody. I wish everybody who has been harmed a speedy recovery.

‘But as I say, I am not going to get into condemning protesters when we don’t know what has happened yet.

‘We need a full investigation into what’s happened on the side of the protesters as is happening, but also on the side of the police. That’s just the function of a democratic society.’ 

The violence erupted at a ‘Kill the Bill’ protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

In tweets later, Ms Whittome said she was ‘strongly against the use of violence against anyone’. But she insisted: ‘What must not be lost in this conversation is the Policing Bill itself. It represents the biggest assault on the right to peaceful protest in a generation.

‘It is an illiberal and draconian Bill that must be scrapped. If we want peaceful protest, peaceful protest must be allowed.’  

Police said seven people had been arrested, six for violent disorder and a seventh for possession of an offensive weapon, following Sunday night’s riot.

Twenty police officers were injured, two seriously, when what started as a peaceful demonstration turned violent after about 500 protesters descended on the New Bridewell police station.

Speaking to broadcasters at BAE Systems in Preston, Boris Johnson said: ‘I think all that kind of thing is unacceptable and the people obviously have a right to protest in this country.

‘But they should protest peacefully and legally.’

Two of those injured were treated in hospital after suffering a punctured lung and broken ribs, and a fractured arm, respectively. Both have since been discharged.

Police said between 2,000 and 3,000 people had gathered at College Green on Sunday to protest against the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will see the police handed new powers to tackle demonstrations.

Andy Marsh, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police, claimed the event had been ‘hijacked by extremists’ and said there was no ‘prior intelligence’ that any disorder was planned ‘on this scale’.

Asked whether the much-criticised way the Metropolitan Police handled the vigil for murdered Sarah Everard earlier this month had made a difference to how officers behaved in Bristol, Chief Constable Marsh said: ‘Every protest and the police response to it needs to be dealt with in the context of that protest.’  

He said today: ‘A tactical decision was made to deal with these criminals retrospectively and not make a significant number of arrests last night, which would have impacted significantly on our resources at the scene and created a greater risk of damage to property and injuries to the reduced number of officers left to deal with the disorder. 

‘There was a hardcore of serious criminals hidden within those 3,000 people – perhaps 400 or 500 people – and we certainly didn’t trigger this. 

‘By the time it got to 5.30pm, it became clear that whatever we did we would not be able to avoid a very violent confrontation.’ 

As a huge clean-up operation gets underway, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the so-called activists were ‘a group of people running around the country looking for any opportunity to enter into physical conflict with police or representatives of what they see as the establishment.’ 

Sir Keir said the events in Bristol were ‘inexcusable’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.

The former director of public prosecutions said he hoped those responsible for the violence were brought to justice.

‘I hope that the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted where that’s appropriate,’ Sir Keir told LBC Radio.

Darren Jones, the Labour MP for Bristol North West, said: ‘You don’t campaign for the right to peaceful protest by setting police vans on fire or graffitiing buildings.’ 

The PM described the violent scenes that marred a ‘Kill the Bill’ protest in Bristol as ‘unacceptable’.

Speaking to broadcasters at BAE Systems in Preston, the Prime Minister said: ‘I think all that kind of thing is unacceptable and the people obviously have a right to protest in this country.

‘But they should protest peacefully and legally.’