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2024 Harehills riot

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For the riot in 2001, see 2001 Harehills riot.
2024 Harehills riot
Harehills Lane, where the height of the riot took place, pictured in August 2022
Date18 July 2024; 4 months ago (2024-07-18)
Location
Harehills, Leeds, Yorkshire
Caused byDispute over four children being taken into care by social services
Anti-police sentiment
MethodsRioting, arson, assault
Parties
Local residents of Harehills

On 18 July 2024, a riot took place in the Harehills area of Leeds, Yorkshire, England. The incident was triggered by a dispute over four children of a Romani family being taken into care by social services and police.[1]

The situation escalated as residents, angry and filming the police, gathered, forcing the police to retreat. The unrest involved violent confrontations between local residents and police officers, resulting in the overturning of a police car, the torching of a double-decker bus, a bonfire of debris blocking a main road and widespread disorder in the streets.[2]

Background

Harehills is a diverse working class suburb of Leeds, with significant populations of Romani and Pakistani residents.[3][4] In 2020, it was described as the second most socio-economically deprived area in Leeds.[5][6]

Earlier in 2024, Leeds Children’s Services had presented claims to family court that a baby had been injured, and that the family might attempt to take the children out of the country. The judge ruled that the children should be taken into care to prevent this, and placed with extended family in order to keep the children together. The removal and placement was criticised by the barrister for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, claiming that inadequate time was allowed for them to visit and assess safety issues.[7]

Harehills has seen civil unrest before with a riot in the same area in 2001 after police were accused of being "heavy handed" in their arrest of a British Asian man over a driving offence.[8] The community is considered to be diverse, and where Leeds' Roma community is mostly based, described by a resident as: "Romanian, Gypsy, Pakistani, Asian – this is what it means to be from Harehills".[9][10]

Incident

The incident started on Luxor Street; some half a mile north of where the violence peaked.

At 5 pm on 18 July 2024, West Yorkshire police responded to a residential street disturbance in the Gipton and Harehills ward sparked by a dispute over four children from a residential family, being taken into care by social services.[1][11][12][6] The spark has been described as a "family incident" and a "child protection matter" handled by social workers.[13][14] According to The Guardian, as police attempted to manage the situation, more people began to gather at the scene, with some residents becoming angry and filming the police, leading to increased tension and the eventual outbreak of violence.[15]

Photograpf a police command post and a horse
West Yorkshire Police temporary command post set up close by in nearby Oakwood

A crowd began attacking a police car after witnessing an altercation between social services, the police and a local family. Footage shared on social media showed individuals using scooters, pushchairs, bikes, and bats to assault the vehicle. The police car's windows were broken, the car was overturned, and additional officers were dispatched to the area to attempt to control the situation.[citation needed] Videos and images of the riot quickly spread on platforms like X and TikTok, drawing widespread attention to the incident.[16] Cars in the area were reportedly set alight, and two First Leeds buses were attacked, one of which was set on fire.[14][15] Videos posted on social media from the riot show people speaking Romanian while overturning a police car.[17][18] iNews reported that police were 'outnumbered' and 'ran away' from the riot and disorder. A number of locals perceived a lack of emergency personnel at the scene for most of the night.[19]

Throughout the evening, Gipton and Harehills Councillor Mothin Ali was present at the scene of the riot attempting to calm the violent situation.[20] Videos were posted during the night, on TikTok and X, of him stopping those present from throwing wooden pallets and wheelie bins onto the fire.[21][9]

Reactions

A gathering of residents the day after on Bellbrooke Street

Salma Arif, Councillor from Gipton and Harehills, posted on X platform on Thursday standing along with a police inspector, urging people to stay at home, with the BBC noting Arif's comment on the "an ongoing situation currently in Harehills... We are asking everybody in the area please stay at home at this moment in time."[14]

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, said she had been "reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again."[14] During a press conference on 19 July, Ms. Brabin discussed meeting with "key partners," during which they developed a plan to ensure the safety of Harehills, with "imams and the faith leaders [...] getting the message out there that we need to stay calm and ensure we don't have what we saw, which was frightening, horrible and unacceptable."[22]

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the Member of Parliament from Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley of West Yorkshire, expressed her dismay stating that she was "appalled at the shocking scenes", and that "disorder of this nature has no place in our society".[14] Richard Burgon, the Member of Parliament for Leeds East, posted on X: "I am on my way back to Leeds from Parliament and am in touch with the police and concerned residents about the on-going incident in Harehills." The MP continued, "The police say no injuries have been reported but are advising people to avoid the area at the moment if possible."[14]

British Muslim Green councillor Mothin Ali, who was at the scene trying to calm the situation and urging the police to speak in Urdu, faced online smears and received death threats after the news coverage.[23][24][20] The Independent described how Ali was a "hero", who formed a "human shield" to stop people adding further combustible material to fires.[25]

Aftermath

In response to the riot, the city's council has commenced an "urgent review" concerning its management of child care cases. This decision comes after discussions with members of the Gypsy Roma community, who have accused the authorities of "systemic racism and discrimination" in managing the case involving a family from their community.[26] On Friday, 19 July 2024, some members of the community held a vigil and chanted "please bring the kids back".[26] The children's parents declared a hunger strike until their four children were returned. On 23 July, children were returned to the family.[27]

Nine Romanian citizens were detained following the street riot on 18 July, according to Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 21 July. Of these, eight were later released.[28] Police have charged one Romanian man aged 37 with violent disorder and arson that endangered life.[29] The Romanian Consulate in Manchester states they were maintaining communication with the family affected by child custody measures, as well as with British authorities.[28]

On 3 August, the BBC reported that police arrested 27 people in connection with the riot. Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs expressed gratitude to those who provided information and indicated more arrests are expected.[30] Journalist Emilia Stankeviciute wrote that "Local contextual factors, such as economic deprivation, can quickly turn minor incidents like this into significant unrest".[31] Right-leaning, libertarian online magazine Spiked argued that due to the reported diversity of the rioters, integration and cultural tensions may have played a role in the unrest.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Mackley, Elizabeth (19 July 2024). "Police issue more details on what sparked night of violence". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  2. ^ Bird, Steve (19 July 2024). "Police face a backlash over Leeds riots". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Leeds: Harehills residents condemn 'out of control' disorder". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ Elgot, Jessica; reporter, Jessica Elgot Political (27 April 2017). "Theresa May lays bare ambition to capture Labour heartlands". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Health profile overview for Gipton and Harehills ward" (PDF). Gipton and Harehills Ward 2020.
  6. ^ a b Cobham, Tara (19 July 2024). "Leeds riots – latest: Arrests made over Harehills disorder as council urgently reviews 'family matter' case". The Independent. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Social Work News". www.mysocialworknews.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ^ Vinter, Robyn (28 July 2024). "'We got failed by the police': how veterans of Leeds riots stepped in to defuse disorder". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b Gent, Craig (19 July 2024). "'We're All Getting Attacked': How Disorder Broke Out in East Leeds". Novara Media.
  10. ^ Bailey, Liz (June 2019). "Health Needs Assessment of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma Groups in Leeds 2019" (PDF). Adults and Health Directorate – via Leeds City Council.
  11. ^ Vinter, Robyn (19 July 2024). "'We're in it together': how unrest in Leeds escalated – and was defused". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  12. ^ Penna, Dominic (19 July 2024). "Farage under fire after calling Leeds riot 'politics of the subcontinent'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  13. ^ Watling, Tom (19 July 2024). "Leeds riots – latest: Harehills violence triggered by 'family incident' as hero councillor calmed disorder". The Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Moss, Alex; Ingall, Tom (18 July 2024). "Bus destroyed and police car flipped in Leeds disorder". BBC News. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b Vinter, Robyn; Badshah, Nadeem (19 July 2024). "Police car turned over and vehicles set alight in disorder in Leeds". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  16. ^ Kershaw, Tom (18 July 2024). "Harehills latest as police car overturned and attacked — Updates". Leeds Live. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  17. ^ RFE/RL. "Romanians Appear To Be Involved In Mass Riot In Leeds". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Nine Romanians detained after disturbances in British city of Leeds, one charged". Romania Insider. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  19. ^ Robson, Steve (19 July 2024). "Leeds police 'outnumbered' and 'ran away' from riot disorder, locals claim". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ a b Vinter, Robyn (23 July 2024). "'This is what a councillor is supposed to do': Mothin Ali on false accusations of rioting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  21. ^ "'Hero' councillor formed 'human shield' to stop violence escalating in Leeds riots". The Independent. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Leeds: Arrests made after 'night of chaos' in Harehills". BBC News. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ^ "UK: Far-right blames Muslims and 'third world' migrants for Leeds unrest". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Gipton & Harehills – areainsights.co.uk". Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Hero councillor formed a human shield to stop violence escalating in Leeds riots". The Independent. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ^ a b Bird, Steve (20 July 2024). "Romanians chant 'please bring the kids back' as Leeds council launches 'urgent review'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Children returned to extended family after Leeds disorder". BBC News. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Nine Romanians detained after disturbances in British city of Leeds, one charged". Romania Insider. 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Harehills Disorder: Man Charged with Arson and Violent Disorder". West Yorkshire Police. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  30. ^ "Harehills: Twenty seven people arrested over Leeds disorder". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  31. ^ Stankeviciute, Emilia. "Social tensions spark Islamophobic rhetoric: What we know so far about the riots in the Harehills area of Leeds, U.K." Logically Facts. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  32. ^ "We need to talk about the Harehills riot". www.spiked-online.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
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