THUGS wrecked cars belonging to NHS staff during a Kill the Bill riot.
Nine vehicles in a car park used by key workers from Bristol Royal Infirmary had windscreens smashed in Sunday’s protest.
A night of violence saw one officer suffer a punctured lung and broken ribs while another had a fractured arm.
Some 21 officers were hurt in clashes with demonstrators, who hurled fireworks, torched vans and smashed up a police station.
Rioters in Rupert Street NCP jumped on cars and battered them causing thousands of pounds of damage.
Avon and Somerset Police Federation boss Andy Roebuck called them animals, adding: “When the protesters started to disperse, the feral criminals hijacked the protest.
“Officers felt they were going to be killed.”
Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “There was a hardcore of criminals within those 3,000 people.” Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said it was “people living out revolutionary fantasies”.
The force will mount appeals to identify suspects.
The demo was promoted by Bristol Anarchist Federation and Extinction Rebellion. Some yobs defecated at the feet of officers and pictures show one woman urinating in front of police.
Boris Johnson branded the riot “unacceptable” and Home Secretary Priti Patel said “thuggery and disorder” would never be tolerated.
Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer said it was “inexcusable”. But rank-and-file cops blasted top brass for failing to stand up to mob rule.
Following the scenes in Bristol, riot officers in London’s Park Lane fled when hundreds of thugs charged.
Ken Marsh, of the Met’s Police Federation, said: “The Government and senior police management have got to get a grip. If we do not act, the mob will believe they are beyond the law.”
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give police more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests.
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