Bristol Riots - Stokes Croft Tesco Riot, April 2011

Stokes Croft Tesco Riot, April 2011

On 21 April 2011, there was a riot in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol, following a raid by police on a squat named 'Telepathic Heights'. A protest ensued, and they withdrew, however at 9pm that evening, riot police blockaded the area and entered the squat. A crowd quickly gathered, with approximately 300 people defending the squat, and a further 1000 caught up in the mayhem. More than 160 officers were involved in the operation. The reason for the operation given by the police was that they held intelligence that petrol bombs were on the premises designated for the Tesco development opposite.

The riot eventually died down following the withdrawal of the police, after which the newly opened Tesco was attacked resulting in smashed windows and graffiti.

The night's operation cost around £465,000 and involved 160 officers from 12 different forces including Avon & Somerset.

Local Labour MP Kerry McCarthy criticised the "heavy-handed" behaviour of the police and said that " was hit by a truncheon and I was shoved out of the way by a policeman at one stage." McCarthy described the riot as "an anti-establishment protest: against capitalism and corporations, similar to what we saw in the march against the cuts in London where Starbucks and banks were targeted."

A second set of riots took place a week later on 28/29 April. Tesco continued to insist that the protests were not fuelled by anti-Tesco feeling (despite opposition from protesters) and that it was only supported by a small handful of protesters.

An information site Say No To Bristol Riots was set up to help report the events of the riots to improve public safety in Bristol.

The Tesco express reopened on 24 May 2011, causing further peaceful protests during the day.