What really happened in Bristol

A new video shows the failings of Bristol police

Youtuber Alf Up A Tree (@AlfUpATree on Twitter) has just released a video about the Standing for Women rally in Bristol on 19 June.

Gathering video from several sources, he adds to footage he took himself and a full picture of the protest has emerged.

His detailed analysis poses many questions about the policing on that day.

Just after the protest, Avon and Somerset Police issued this statement on Twitter :

All these videos show just how disconnected the police statement was from the reality on the ground, particularly from the masked and male protestors. They did not ‘facilitate two protests’: they facilitated a large group of angry and threatening protestors to abuse a smaller group of women lawfully talking about their rights.

With so many males amongst the protestors, there was no equality of arms here, proving the case for the women that males do not belong in single-sex spaces reserved for girls and women.

I challenged Avon and Somerset Police, their Chief Constable, Sarah Crew, and their Police and Crime Commissioner on Twitter about the mounting evidence of their policing failures on that day:

The police presence provided by @ASPBristol was clearly inadequate despite being forewarned that the women's event would be on the receiving end of protests from multiple groups.

cc @aspsarah_crew @AandSPCC [and copied to @Baroness_Nichol @StandingforXX for their information]

#LetWomenSpeak

This - and other videos - give lie to several points in your statement:

1. You failed to keep the protestors apart from the women's meeting.

2. You failed to maintain order.

3. There was physical confrontation, despite your assertion that there was none.

4. The women had to raise their voices because you had allowed many male protestors to get so close to their meeting that they were being drowned out.

5. You did not facilitate the women to have their meeting: you facilitated the protestors to disrupt the women.

You clearly underestimated the (mostly male) aggression that would be targeted at the women despite previous events and despite warnings.

Women deserve better protection from the police so they can meet and discuss in safety, something that is - as you rightly say - their fundamental democratic right.

Why did @ASPolice fail so badly that day and what will you do to ensure this does not happen again?

Fortunately, it appears no one was physically injured but with the protestors allowed to get so close to the women to intimidate and verbally abuse them, it could so easily have been different.

Avon and Somerset police acted as if this was a fun, friendly family day out, allowing an endless stream of vile, sexist, threatening, misogynistic verbal abuse from the protestors:

There will be more meetings in Bristol and elsewhere around the country and the police must start doing the job we expect of them.

Avon and Somerset Police may be hoping this will all quietly and quickly die down.

We must not let it, and keep up the pressure until UK police learn to properly protect women from intimidation and violence.