Protesters rally across England, Wales over crime bill

Protesters are rallying in central London and 24 other towns and cities across England and Wales on Saturday against the British government's new crime bill, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

Police in London have warned people against joining the protests, writing in an online open letter that anyone who attends a gathering that breaches coronavirus restrictions may be committing an offence.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors, who is leading the Metropolitan Police's strategic response to COVID-19, said in a statement: "While we welcome the limited relaxation of rules, we don't want to become complacent. We are hugely grateful to the vast majority of Londoners who have played a vital part in controlling the spread of the virus up to now. After a long and difficult few months, let's not undo all of that hard work now."

"Wherever possible, we should continue to be vigilant, minimise our contact as much as possible, wear a face covering where required and keep ourselves safe. That means avoiding any large gathering," Connors said.

The latest demonstrations came after several protests against the British government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill turned violent last month in Bristol, a populous city in southwestern England.

Officers in riot gear and dogs were sent in to clear the streets while 10 people were arrested last weekend during the "Kill the Bill" demonstration.

It is understood that the bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed to be too noisy or a nuisance. Those convicted under the bill could face a fine or jail.

COVID regulations have since been relaxed and protests are now lawful in England and Wales. However, protest organizers must submit a risk assessment and take steps to limit the potential transmission of coronavirus, according to The Guardian newspaper.

Last month, police in Bristol were criticized for crackdowns on three protests against the bill, with officers in riot gear and dogs sent in to clear the streets three times in the city in the space of a week.

Protesters have attacked police in Bristol after thousands of people turned up to a demonstration that officers had "strongly advised" against attending.

Officers suffered broken bones and police vans were set alight as angry scenes unfolded in downtown Bristol, British media reported.

The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England is between 0.8 and 1, according to the latest government figures.

This is compared to a figure of between 0.7 and 0.9 for the whole of Britain last week.

The latest government figures showed that more than 31.3 million people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Britain.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.