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Protesters have marched through the streets of Cardiff taking part in a protest against a crime bill that many feel will restrict the right to protest.
Under the slogan ‘Kill the Bill’, campaigners gathered at Bute Park this afternoon, before going on a march in a group through the streets of the city. They have been spotted blocking Newport Road as speeches were made and chants were heard of “kill the bill” and “f*** the police”.
Video footage at the scene, captured by Indigo Jones, shows people waving placards displaying slogans such as ‘All coppers are bootlickers’ and ‘Stop police brutality’. Some are sitting cross legged in the middle of the road. Police vehicles are also present, with vans parked watching on from a distance, believed to be stopping traffic from travelling down the road.
There was also a heavy police presence in Cardiff Bay on Saturday afternoon, where a large area was fenced off following a night of huge crowds and trouble on Good Friday.
Miss Jones, who witnessed the protest taking place, said: “People were making speeches, and chanting. It was a very powerful scene, especially following recent events. The police themselves stayed firmly back which was probably the right thing to do in regard to a protest of this nature. But they ensured everybody was safe and guided everyone out. They were in quite good spirits considering.”
The proposed bill would give more power to police in Wales and England to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including for being too noisy or a nuisance, with fines or jail terms for those convicted.
Similar Kill the Bill protests in Bristol have seen unruly scenes unfold. On March 21, it descended into a riot, with subsequent rallies on March 23 and 26 also ending in clashes between the police and protesters. A further demonstration on March 30 passed off peacefully.
Tom Fowler was one of the people taking part in the protest. He said: “It’s been really good, it’s been nice to see such a large, vocal crowd. The numbers have gone down a bit now but there is still enough to block the road. At its peak there were hundreds taking part, which shows how many people are actually bothered about this.
“It is cynical to bring this through at a time when protests are curtailed. It started at Bute Park and went through the city and we are now at Newport Road. There has been a lot of speeches and a lot of chanting, it has been incredibly vibrant and loud, and there’s been a lot of families taking part. People are livid the Government is trying to put such an aggressive bill through. There are over 50 towns and cities across the UK doing the same thing today.
“The police have been very hands off and for the most part have just been going around in vans filming everybody. I think it has been a much better protest for it.”
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