Susanna Reid slams ‘disgusting and hideous’ Kill The Bill Bristol police riots as seven arrested

Susanna Reid has slammed Bristol’s Kill The Bill police riots as ‘disgusting and hideous’ on Good Morning Britain. 

The TV anchor and co-host Ben Shephard reviewed footage taken from the Sunday night ‘Kill The Bill’ protests, which descended into chaos with protesters scaling the police station and spray painting walls, and a van being set on fire. 

Seven people have since been arrested over the incident.

Declaring the videos from the scene as ‘absolutely shocking’, Susanna shared her sympathies with the police who were trying to curb the violence. 

‘We are going to discuss what on earth went wrong and what can be done about it with the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees,’ she said. 

‘The police are currently in a very difficult situation, having to enforce laws, and this protest all about new laws, that would, ironically, restrict protests.

‘Something that should be protected, the peaceful right to protest, but these scenes are hideous for any of us to see, and awful for the police there in Bristol.’ 

‘The bill is about restricting non-violent protests, I don’t think anybody would argue that a protest that gets this aggressive and violent needs to be restricted and controlled,’ Ben added. 

‘Unfortunately a lot of the police last night came under attack, and a number have ended up in hospital.’ 

He added that the photos were ‘distressing’, with Susanna calling the scenes ‘disgusting’. 

The Kill The Bill protest started in Bristol last night as a response to the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, such as those deemed ‘too noisy’ or ‘a nuisance’. 

Those convicted under the proposed legislation could face a fine or even go to jail.

Protesters at the demonstration carried signs saying ‘let us protest’, ‘this Bill is a public nuisance’, and ‘our silence is not your right’.

Starting at College Green, the protest moved to Nelson Street, where rioters began throwing fireworks, defacing police property and starting fires. 

A number of officers are said to be ‘badly injured’, with some cases reporting suspected broken arms and ribs. 

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.

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