In a tweet Saturday, Johnson said the protests saw “shameful attacks on police officers in Bristol.”
“Our agents should not have to face a mob throwing bricks, bottles and fireworks against violence and causing damage to property,” he said.
People took to the streets on Friday evening (the third protest in a week) to express their opposition to the bill, with more protests across the UK over the weekend.
Crowds roamed downtown Bristol – past the site of the original statue of slave trader Edward Colston – and ended up outside Bridewell Police Station, where protesters threw stones. Last weekend.
More than 1,000 people attended, according to Avon and Somerset police, and protesters could be heard shouting “peaceful protest” and “shame” at officers.
Videos circulating online show protesters being pushed to the ground and beaten with riot shields.
A journalist from the Daily Mirror tweeted a video of agents apparently taking him off the road and beating him, as he was heard shouting, “I’m under pressure!”
Avon and Somerset police said they were aware of the video and were trying to contact the journalist involved.
Police said objects such as eggs and glasses were thrown, fireworks were thrown into the assembled section and attempts were made to pull the shields. A total of 10 people were arrested, with dogs and horses used by officers until 1 a.m. local time.
Superintendent Mark Runacres said “most people acted peacefully, but there was a minority who once again showed hostility to officers.”
Tensions were particularly high, as the police body itself admitted on Friday that reports from last weekend – alleging that officers suffered injuries, including broken bones and a punctured lung at the hands of protesters – were false.
“Fortunately, the injuries, despite being serious, did not involve fractures or punctures in the lung. We believe the information had been verified, but it did not, and although we apologize for it, there was no intention to cheating, ”Avon and Somerset police said. he said in an updated statement.
The proposed police bill, along with the violent rupture of a vigil on a woman murdered earlier this month and the arrest of a police officer on duty on suspicion of her murder, has severely hampered relations between the British police and much of the public. .
Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens was charged with the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard, in a case that has been intensely followed and led to a renewed national discussion about intimidation, harassment and violence against women.
But police also became the object of anger, when on March 13 they settled into a peaceful vigil at Everard in south London and appeared to force women into the land, an approach that has led to a review and control of pending legislation that would increase its powers to dismantle mass protests and rallies in the future.
Rob Picheta contributed to the reports.