Bristol Defendant Solidarity (BDS) was formed in the aftermath of the street resistance in Stokes Croft in late April 2011. That resistance occurred when the state acted to defend a newly opened Tesco shop on Cheltenham Rd which had been the focus of widespread community opposition.
A heavy-handed police raid on a squat virtually opposite the Tesco sparked street protests nearby by supporters, that escalated into rioting as the cops brought in back-up from several other forces in what looked like a pre-planned operation. Welsh cops didnt endear themselves to locals by blocking their streets and refusing them access to their own homes, and soon wider sections of the local community were on the streets giving the cops a runaround into the early hours. The Tesco shop was trashed and shut down for a week. Continue reading Celebrate 2years of active solidarity by Bristol Defendant Solidarity
