Leeds, Friday: Unrest broke out in Leeds on Thursday evening, resulting in violent clashes and destruction of property. Rioters set a double-decker bus ablaze and overturned a police car, amidst escalating tensions in the city’s Harehills area.
Social media footage shared on the platform ‘X’ captured scenes of chaos as a crowd attacked a police vehicle, using a pram, rocks, and bicycles to smash its windows before flipping it onto its side. Videos also showed individuals setting fire to a bus, with young children participating in the riots. In one clip, a group is seen running towards a fire in the middle of the road, throwing a large fridge onto the blaze to the cheers of onlookers.
West Yorkshire Police reported on Friday that no injuries had been recorded. “A large number of public order officers have been deployed to the location in what remains an ongoing incident,” the police stated.
The disturbances are believed to have started after social services removed four children from a local family. The unrest began around 5 pm on Thursday when police responded to a disturbance call on Luxor Street. Authorities confirmed that officers and agency workers had safely removed the children before the violence escalated throughout the evening.
Speaking to The Telegraph, a local who claimed to know the family said the riot initially began as a protest against the removal of the children. The incident was reportedly sparked by a previous event where a baby was accidentally injured by a sibling. The parents, after taking the baby to the hospital for a check-up, were shocked when the hospital reported the case to social services. Subsequently, social workers removed the four children from the family without providing a clear reason.
“They could not believe it when the hospital called social services. After all this time, the social workers then took the four children into care. They did not give the family a reason. They just said it was for the best,” the local stated.
West Yorkshire Police are treating the disorder in the Harehills area as a “serious public order incident.” They urged residents not to speculate on the cause of the disorder, which they believe has been instigated by a criminal minority intent on disrupting community relations. “Officers are aware of incorrect information circulating on social media suggesting persons potentially responsible,” the police stated.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed her concern over the incident in a post on ‘X’ Friday, saying, “I am appalled at the shocking scenes and attacks on police vehicles & public transport in Leeds tonight. Disorder of this nature has no place in our society. My thanks go to West Yorkshire police for their response. I am being kept regularly updated.”
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, wrote on X, “I am on my way back to Leeds from Parliament and am in touch with the police and concerned residents about the ongoing incident in Harehills.” Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, reassured the public, stating, “I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again.”
