Leeds riots – latest: Arrests made over Harehills disorder as council urgently reviews ‘family matter’ case
Police car overturned and double-decker bus torched as social workers faced ‘hostility’ while dealing with child protection matter
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Police have so far made five arrests and charged another man 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.
Iustin Dobre, 37, of Clifton Mount, Harehills, was on Saturday charged with arson and violent disorder. The other five people arrested on suspicion of violent disorder remain in police custody.
The force said it had been called to a report of social workers being met with “hostility” while dealing with a child protection matter.
After meeting with representatives of the Roma community on Friday, Leeds City Council agreed to undertake an “urgent review” of the “family matter” case.
Are you at the scene or wish to share how this impacted you? Email alexander.butler@independent.co.uk
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‘Appalling breakdown of social order’ - West Yorkshire Police Federation
West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Craig Nicholls has issued a statement on last night’s trouble.
He described it as “utterly unacceptable” and praised police officers who responded to trouble in the Harehills estate in Leeds.
He said: “What should have been a standard duty quickly turned into a night of chaos, highlighting the need for robust support and resources for those tasked with maintaining public safety.
“Despite the conditions, the resilience of our colleagues was nothing short of remarkable.
“In the face of aggression and disorder, their quick-thinking and bravery were critical in bringing the situation to a safe conclusion.”
‘I was just thinking about my community’ - hero councillor
Green Councillor Mothin Ali was also filmed dramatically kicking away a wheelie bin being dragged towards a fire by two young people.
He also stopped another adult from throwing a wooden pallet onto the fire.
Councillor Ali said: “This is my community, these are my people, regardless of how they behaved. This behaviour is unacceptable but we need people to step in and calm things down when they can. I have a position of authority and I have to use it.
“I grabbed the bin off those young lads, and credit to them they showed me respect and stepped away. They didn’t try anything else.
“Later on the crowd changed, and was more aggressive. I had people pushing me and shoving me. I don’t even know if I was scared, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just thinking about my community.”
Leeds City Council agree to undertake ‘urgent review’ of ‘family matter’ case after riot
After meeting with representatives of the Roma community today, Leeds City Council have agreed to undertake an “urgent review” of a “family matter” case.
A riot broke out in the Harehills area of Leeds on Thursday evening after social workers reported hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.
The children were taken to a safe place while police officers attended for support. But when authorities were met with further hostilities, they were forced to withdraw.
A statement from Leeds City Council released on Friday said: “Today, representatives of the Roma community met with Leeds City Council to express their concerns about a family matter yesterday (18 July 2024).
“The council has agreed to undertake an urgent review of the case and work with Romanian and Roma led organisations, the churches, and the Honorary Consulate of Romania and other family representatives for the best interests of the family and wider Roma community.
“We are asking all communities to remain calm and to ensure that we do not see further disturbances such as those witnessed last night, which brought fear and upset to communities in Harehills. Local people are devastated by what happened, and we want to ensure there is no repeat of the distressing scenes we saw. Such actions will have a long lasting and harmful impact on our community.”
How last night’s riot started
More than 15 hours since the start of the public disorder, questions are being asked on how it started.
West Yorkshire Police said its officers were called to an incident at an address in the Harehills estate at 5pm on Thursday where they found an “ongoing disturbance” involving agency workers and children.
More people started to attend the location and the agency workers and children were taken to a safe place.
A crowd then started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area where “pockets of disorder” were emerging.
In a statement, the West Yorkshire Police said: “More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident.”
The force has added that they will conduct a full investigation into “all criminal offences… including damage to vehicles from fire”.
Mood ‘calmer’ tonight
Leeds City Councillor Salma Arif told Channel 4 news that the mood now seems calmer in the Harehills area after violent disorder on Thursday night.
She said she had been meeting with police and community leaders to make sure there was no repeat of what happened.
Misinformation on social media about the nature of the incident had been “extremely unhelpful” she said, and added that she had been “picking up on some of that rhetoric” while in the midst of trying to defuse the situation.
She said: “What I can tell you, it was an isolated incident. There was an incident that happened with a family with care services, and obviously I can’t go in much detail in relation to what happened with that incident.
“But that has been really unhelpful because it means you know, the media has landed in Harehills. And actually, I mean, you will go tomorrow, but as a community, we still have to be together to pick up those pieces.”
She said Harehills was “a deprived area, but an incredibly diverse part of the city of Leeds”.
Wrong information on who is responsible posted on social media - say police
Following the break-out of the riot in the Harehills estate in Leeds last night, social media has been flooded with pics and videos from eyewitnesses.
There’s also been questions raised on who is responsible, with fingers pointed at some groups and people.
This morning, West Yorkshire Police, which is treating the matter as a “serious public order incident” said it was aware of wrong information posted on social media.
A spokesperson said: “We would strongly discourage residents from speculating on the cause of this disorder which we 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.”
Profile on Harehills
So what do we know about Harehills?
The suburb is located in east Leeds and comes under the Gipton and Harehills ward, which has a population of just over 30,000 people living across 11,000 homes.
It was ranked among the most deprived areas in Leeds in 2020.
Last year, the most common crime offences reported were violence and sexual offences, public order and criminal damage and arson.
Home Secretary brands riot as ‘audacious criminality’ - reports
Yvette Cooper has branded yesterday’s riot in Harehills, Leeds as “audacious criminality” as she met with he Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection to Thursday night’s violence which saw a police car overturned and a bus set alight
Speaking at Leeds’ Elland Road police station the Home Secretary told the BBC: “I’ve been talking to West Yorkshire Police officers and also to local community leaders about the action they are taking in response to these unacceptable scenes of disorder and criminality that we saw last night.
“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.”
Five arrested after riot
Five people have been taken into custody after scenes of violent disorder in the east Leeds suburb of Harehills on Thursday evening, according to West Yorkshire Police.
Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said: “We have made a number of arrests in connection with the breakout of disorder in Harehills last night with five people taken into custody.
“Officers from the Major Enquiry Team continue at significant pace to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disorder and we have teams deployed to arrest those who have been identified. We are using all the investigative tools available to us in order to identify those involved.
“These include traditional witness appeals as well as new and innovative ways of identifying those responsible. We’re making arrests and will continue to do so over the next few days.”
He added: “To those who are responsible for the criminality seen in Harehills, our investigation will be relentless and I urge you to do the right thing and hand yourself in to the police while you have the opportunity to do so.
“I also issue the same message to the parents of those young people involved, to make contact with the police now.”
‘Nobody was seriously hurt’ - West Yorkshire Mayor
Despite the danger posed by last night’s fires, no-one was thankfully seriously hurt, according to West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin.
Fears had been raised for passengers of a bus after images showed it on fire during the public disorder, but that was empty, said First Bus.
This morning, Ms Brabin said she believed no-one was seriously hurt as a result of the riot.
In a post on X, she wrote: “I am relieved that nobody was seriously hurt in this incident - we will provide any support we can to the people of Harehills following the violence perpetrated in their community.”
She also criticised those behind the disorder.
She said: “I am absolutely appalled by the violent and thoughtless actions witnessed in Harehills last night. Such criminal behaviour will not be tolerated and I am in touch with West Yorkshire Police for regular updates on the progress of their investigation.
“I would urge everyone to refrain from speculation on social media and if members of the public believe they have footage of criminal behaviour, I would ask for this to be passed on to the police.”