Ryan Bridge, co-founder of the Raise the Colours group, has spoken out after being arrested in London while attending the Unite the Kingdom rally. The arrest followed a hit-and-run crash involving a van and a pedestrian in Pershore Road, Stirchley, on Thursday, May 14.
The incident left a man in his 30s with serious leg injuries. Bridge claimed on social media that a cherry picker van from his workplace was seized and is now in a police compound.
Police Actions and Arrests
West Midlands Police reported that a 44-year-old man was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in London on suspicion of wounding in connection with the crash. A second man, aged 52, was arrested in Birmingham on the same charge on Saturday night.
The force stated: "Officers from the Met Police arrested the man in London (on Saturday morning) and he will be questioned by our officers in due course."
Bridge's Response
In a Facebook live stream on Sunday, May 17, Bridge maintained his innocence. He questioned why police did not approach him earlier, saying: "The day before (Friday, May 15) when that cherry picker van got lifted from my work where they know where I work, they know where I live, so why not come and see me?"
He added: "Why not do it at Birmingham New Street when I was getting on the train live, why not do it as soon as I got off the train, why let me walk past all the police? They let me walk to that stage where they knew all the audience was."
Bridge denied being in a van at the time of the crash and claimed a video shows him driving his own car. He stated he has been bailed pending further investigation.
Rally and Protests
The Unite the Kingdom rally, organized by Tommy Robinson, drew over 60,000 attendees calling for stricter immigration controls and political change. Simultaneously, around 20,000 people participated in a pro-Palestine protest.
Investigation Updates
West Midlands Police confirmed that the van involved in the Stirchley crash did not stop at the scene but was later recovered on nearby Prince Road. The injured man remains hospitalized.
The force said: "We are viewing CCTV and social media footage as we work to identify the full circumstances of what happened. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch via 101, quoting 5802 of May 14."
Previous Incidents
Bridge was previously detained in Oxfordshire on March 31 on suspicion of causing racially and religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress. He remains on bail in connection with that investigation. He said he is now banned from Oxford, an area around a hotel in Sutton Coldfield, Kingstanding, and all of France.
Bridge has described the operation to erect flags on streets as "patriotic" rather than racist and insists Raise the Colours is not a far-right organization.
