2024 Harehills riot
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2024) |
| 2024 Harehills riot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_001.jpg) West Yorkshire Police temporary command post set up close by in Oakwood | |||
| Date | 18 July 2024 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Anti-police sentiment | ||
| Methods | Rioting, arson, assault | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
The 2024 Harehills riot was a public disturbance that took place in the Harehills area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. 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, setting fires to the streets of the community, and widespread disorder in the streets.
Harehills has been described as a socioeconomically deprived area with a demographic plurality of British Pakistanis and the sizable minority of Romana Gypsies.[1][2][3][4]
Background
[edit]Harehills is a suburb of Leeds known for its diverse population, according to the 2021 census for the ward, 38.2% of people are Asian, 34.5% are white, with black, mixed, Arab and other ethnic groups comprising the rest of the community.[5] British people of Pakistani origin make up a plurality of the area's population.[2] The area also has a large Romana Gypsy community, who are often classified as Eastern European in demographic studies.[3]
Harehills has high levels of unemployment in relation to Leeds and the rest of the UK.[6] The ward is in the 3% most deprived in the UK, and is known to have a problem with substance abuse. There have been reports of stabbings and murders in this area. 31000 people live in the area, with a unusually high crime rate of 241.4 crimes per 1,000 whereas the national average is 75.88.[4]
Triggering event
[edit]
Early reports emerged saying a "family incident" sparked the unrest, and the actions of the police and social service workers were "misinterpreted", according to Tom Riordan, the chief executive of Leeds City Council.[7] On 19 July, a statement by the Assistant Chief Constable of police confirmed the event that led to the riot. The riot in Leeds was sparked by a "child protection matter" handled by social workers, which led to a confrontation. At 5 pm on 18 July, West Yorkshire police was responding to a residential street disturbance sparked by a dispute over four children from a Roma family, being taken into care by social services.[8][9][10] West Yorkshire Police were called to an address on Luxor Street in Harehills at around 5:00 p.m. to respond to a disturbance involving agency workers and children.[11] 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.[12]
The riot
[edit]The unrest began when a crowd of hundreds of people began attacking a police car after witnessing an altercation between Social services, the police and a family of 9, including 7 children. A 9 month old baby was heard to have been dropped by another child causing serious injuries to the child’s skull.[citation needed] 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. Videos and images of the riot quickly spread on platforms like X and TikTok, drawing widespread attention to the incident.[13]
Cars in the area were reported to be set alight, and two First Leeds buses were attacked, one of which was set on fire.[11][12]
Throughout the evening, Gipton and Harehills Councillor Mothin Ali was present at the scene of the riot attempting to calm the violent situation. 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.[14][15]
Reactions
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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. "There's an ongoing situation currently in Harehills" continues "We are asking everybody in the area please stay at home at this moment in time." Ms Arif stated.[11]
Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, mentioned she had been "reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again."[11] Press conference revealed that Ms. Brabin had participated in a meeting with "key partners," during which they developed a plan to ensure the safety of Harehills. "The imams and the faith leaders are also 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." she said in the Press conference.[16]
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, a Member of Parliament from Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley of West Yorkshire, expressed her dismay saying "appalled at the shocking scenes". "Disorder of this nature has no place in our society," she stated.[11]
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."[11]
The far-right and people on social media blamed the riots on the Muslim community;[17][18] 38.2% of the Gipton & Harehills ward are of Asian origin and the area is characterised as being "Muslim".[5] 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.[17][19] The Independent described how Ali was a "hero", who formed a "human shield" to stop people adding further combustible material to fires.[20]
A resident of the area, Graham Newby, described that he was heartbroken saying: "“It has become a no-go zone. It is horrible. It is horrendous. I remember in the ’70s and ‘80s I used to come down here and go to the butchers, the meeting point, but now it’s horrible".[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ "Health profile overview for Gipton and Harehills ward" (PDF). Gipton and Harehills Ward 2020.
- ^ a b "Gipton & Harehills - areainsights.co.uk". Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b VoI, Team (20 July 2024). "UK: Leeds Burn As Cultures Clash". Vibes Of India. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Gipton & Harehills (Ward, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Observatory - Economy & Employment (Harehills)". Leeds Observatory. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mackley, Elizabeth (19 July 2024). "Police issue more details on what sparked night of violence". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kershaw, Tom (18 July 2024). "Harehills latest as police car overturned and attacked — Updates". Leeds Live. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "'Hero' councillor formed 'human shield' to stop violence escalating in Leeds riots". The Independent. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "'We're All Getting Attacked': How Disorder Broke Out in East Leeds". Novara Media. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds: Arrests made after 'night of chaos' in Harehills". BBC News. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b "UK: Far-right blames Muslims and 'third world' migrants for Leeds unrest". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ VoI, Team (20 July 2024). "UK: Leeds Burn As Cultures Clash". Vibes Of India. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Gipton & Harehills – areainsights.co.uk". Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Hero councillor formed a human shield to stop violence escalating in Leeds riots". The Independent. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Leeds riot: Harehills local 'heartbroken' as new details emerge". www.gbnews.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.