Arrests made following protest activity affecting M32 in Bristol
There is 1 related update to this story
We’ve responded to an escalation of action by protestors with Extinction Rebellion in Bristol city centre this morning and are making arrests.
A group of about 30 protestors initially stopped traffic in Newfoundland Road but then moved to block the M32 inbound near to Bond Street at about 6.50am today.
After a group of protestors glued themselves to a bath tub on a middle lane section of the motorway, officers moved into make arrests, assisted by a specialist protest removal team.
The arrests are ongoing and we will update on numbers later today. The arrests are in relation to the obstruction of a highway.
Motorists using the M32 have been advised to expect further delays and there could be additional protest activity in other streets around the city centre until Friday.
Ch Insp Mark Runacres said: “Throughout the protest we’ve been balancing our duties under the Human Rights Act to allow peaceful protests to take place while balancing that with the need to reduce the amount of disruption to the public and keep people safe.
“The action taken by some of the protestors this morning has crossed the line and is a situation we can no longer accept. We were clear that we would take robust action to maintain public safety and that’s what we’re doing. We will continue to work with our partner agencies to monitor protest activity and will take further action if necessary.”