Every Little Helps...Police censor public screening of film about the Bristol Tesco Riot

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Based on article from bearsdenherald.co.uk

An unofficial screening of a film showing footage of a riot in Bristol has been blocked by the police. A large number of people had been expected to attend the event in a park in the city after advertising had been posted online. The free Riot Special, which has been organised by Occasional Cinema, was due to take place in Mina Park, in the St Werburghs area of the city. It was to show footage recorded last Friday night by citizen journalists during the riot in the Stokes Croft area. The advert stated: After the spectacular events of last week we present an evening of citizen journalist footage from the riot and discussions on how police tactics failed so miserably. However, before the event could start Avon and Somerset Police used legislation to prevent the screening. A force spokeswoman said: The group was dispersed under legislation available to the police to maintain public safety and reduce the risk of potential disorder. Bristol City Council, the owners of the land, also supported this decision. The organisers have now engaged with the police and the event has been moved to a privately-owned property nearby. Even there the police tried to stop the screening claiming that gathering constituted a rave under the Criminal Justice Act. Chief Inspector John Holt claimed: This was not about censorship. We believed there was a very real risk to the local community if the screening were to go ahead in a public park. We would always encourage people wishing to organise outdoor events to engage with us so that they can go ahead safely, peacefully and without disruption to local residents.

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