Thanks to Tom Wall for keeping the story of the Bristol protests alive in his long read (‘It Was So Wrong’: Why One Protest in Bristol Jailed So Many People Was it done?, March 5). I am the mother of one of the young men and women who were convicted of rioting during the March 2021 “Kill the Bill” protests. My son is currently in prison. He was 19 years old at the time of the protest. He’s a bright college student with no experience or convictions for his protests, but he’s never been in trouble with the police before. He, like many others, was assaulted by the police, but he was later wanted, arrested and charged with rioting. This affected him severely and led to his suicide attempt shortly thereafter.
He was dragged to court, which further affected his mental health. Unable to withstand any more pressure, he pleaded guilty. It’s hard to explain the impact it had and will continue to have on him and his entire family and the rest of our lives. But we are united and we will get through this. As for my son, we know he will be a great person after prison. He is studying indoors and is determined not to give up. He has all the support he needs from his family and friends.
It is clear that the charges of rioting are politically motivated. Three years have passed since then, and not a single police officer has been disciplined. His son is still afraid to speak out and he has lost hope that he and others will ever get justice. We have lost all faith in the police and the justice system. How is this possible in a democracy?
Name and address provided
I have family and friends who attended the protests in Bristol, some of whom have been arrested and charged. I attended many trials, watched hours of footage, and listened to evidence. I was stunned by the seriousness of the charges. My daughter was 19 years old at the time and had no criminal record, but she was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Her experience there seems completely inconsistent with her actions that day, not to mention the strain on her public purse.
As a family, we watched in horror as early cases made their way to court, some ending in prohibitively long sentences. She, like other defendants who later came to trial, was given the chance to plead guilty to lesser charges and avoid a jury draw. It is necessary to investigate how the charges changed as the case progressed. After such a difficult experience that robbed me of my faith in the justice system, it was a relief to finally read an article that reflected the true nature of the incident.
Phil Lazarus
Whiteparish, Wiltshire
Late last year, I was interviewed by Tom Wall on behalf of my daughter Mariella Gedge-Rogers and as one of the founders of the family and friends support group Justice for Bristol Protesters (JBP). . Mariela was one of the first people to plead not guilty to the riot, but she was convicted before the Crown Prosecution Service entered into plea deals with the others, and she was sentenced to five years in prison. He received a half sentence.
Mariela was stepped on by a police officer and suffered injuries to her hand. But more serious was how she felt when her head was shoved into the gutter. Her words were: “George Floyd and Sarah Everard were on my mind and I feared for my life.”
She clashed with police after witnessing others being attacked by them. Although she pleaded guilty to violent disorder for several misdemeanors, she received such a severe and disproportionate sentence.
As stated in the article, not a single police officer has been held accountable for their actions. JBP has started a petition calling for a public inquiry into excessive police brutality, which has garnered over 2,000 signatures. We are also trying to establish how riot charges were allowed to be used against what was essentially a protest, exacerbated by over-policing.
The inconsistency and timing of the trial determined Mariela’s fate – perhaps five and a half years instead of 20 months. Is this really a fair justice system?
Heidi Gedge
bristol
As family members of those affected, many protesters and their families still feel the injustice that happened that day. Most of the demonstrators were young people with no criminal record and were caught up in police brutality.
These young people’s lives have been irrevocably changed by their detention and subsequent criminal records. Meanwhile, despite inflicting unprovoked violence on many demonstrators, not a single police officer received a warning.
It was really nice to read Tom Wall’s excellent and balanced article on this subject, especially the background of the case. This article goes some way to explaining unjust riot charges and long prison sentences imposed for “crimes.” I have never received this judgment in the past. I am horrified to think how our youth have been exploited in this way, as members of a government whose right to protest is being slowly eroded.
Name and address provided
