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Police have so far made five arrests over a major disturbance in a Leeds suburb that has led the council to undertake an “urgent review”.
West Yorkshire Police battled the “serious disorder incident” in Harehills as officers faced a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large crowd that gathered in the street on Thursday night.
Footage on social media showed vehicles, including a double-decker bus, on fire while other videos showed an overturned police car on the road with its blue lights flashing.
Speaking to the BBC in Leeds the following day, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed that those responsible for the “audacious criminality” will “feel the full force of the law”.
In an update on the ongoing investigation, Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said the force had been called to a report of social workers being met with “hostility” while dealing with a child protection matter. He said officers were attacked as they helped the staff to safety.
After meeting with representatives of the Roma community on Friday, Leeds City Council agreed to undertake an “urgent review” of the “family matter” case.
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Resident tells of how ‘frightening’ and ‘worrying’ it was when riots broke out
A resident has told of how “frightening” and “worrying” it was on Thursday when the riots broke out in a Leeds suburb.
Naseem Ashfaq told The Independent: “I don’t live too far from where this happened [on] Thursday. It was very frightening and scary for me. I am over 60. [I] never experienced anything like this before.
“Good job I don’t have small children. Can you imagine what it would have been for them?
“It was so scary thinking, what’s going to happen next? Will it get worse? And how far will this go? So worrying.”
What sparked the night of violent disorder?
Watch: Flames engulf double-decker bus after riot breaks out in Leeds with hundreds on streets
Watch: Hundreds outnumber officers as riots break out in Harehills
Everything we know as police begin investigations over violence
Watch: Councillor who tried to stop Leeds rioters speaks out after violence
Police make arrests as they defend decision to pull officers back during Harehills disorder
West Yorkshire Police has made five arrests following riots in Leeds on Thursday night – and the force defended its decision to pull back its officers in the face of hostile crowds.
Violence broke out on Thursday evening in the Harehills area of Leeds, with shocking videos showing a police car being overturned and a double-decker bus being set alight.
The force said the rioting broke out as officers responded to reports of social workers experiencing hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.
Nigel Farage sparks anger over ‘inflammatory’ Leeds riot comments
Nigel Farage has been accused of inflaming tensions after blaming rioting in Leeds on the “politics of the subcontinent”.
The Reform UK leader, who was in the US for the Republican National Convention in Minnesota, posted on social media on Thursday evening as scenes of disorder in the city emerged.
“The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds,” he wrote on X within hours: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you”.
The hero councillor who formed a human shield to stop violence escalating in Leeds riots
A councillor has been hailed as a hero after attempting to calm the violent scenes which erupted on Thursday night in Leeds.
Mothin Ali, Green Party councillor for Gipton and Harehills ward, said he returned home at 3am on Friday morning after trying to stop people from throwing objects and adding to the already raging fires.
He was filmed dramatically kicking away a wheelie bin being dragged towards a fire by two young people – one wearing a balaclava – and with the other hand, stopping another adult from throwing a wooden pallet onto the fire.
Watch: Home secretary calls Leeds disorder ‘audacious criminality’
The home secretary described violent disorder that broke out on the streets of Leeds as “audacious criminality”.
Violence broke out on Thursday evening (18 July) in the Harehills area of Leeds, with shocking videos showing a police car being overturned and a double-decker bus being set alight. Five people have since been arrested.
In an interview with the BBC on Friday (19 July), Yvette Cooper said: “Many people will have seen on social media some of the really shocking scenes of audacious criminality and that’s why it’s really important that those individuals face the full force of the law and that’s one of the issues police have been talking to me about this evening.”
Source: independent.co.uk
