A police car was overturned and a bus set on fire during unrest in Leeds on Thursday evening. Residents were advised to stay at home.
Footage showed people throwing objects at the police car before it was flipped in Harehills, east of the city centre. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the “shocking scenes and attacks,” stating, “Disorder of this nature has no place in our society.”
A local restaurant owner said the chaos was linked to children being taken into care, with some community members setting fires and throwing stones, reported The Guardian.
Leeds City Council's chief executive Tom Riordan told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the disorder was triggered by a family incident. He said footage of the unrest was "shocking" and those responsible will need to feel "the full force of the law."
Police responded to an address on Luxor Street at 5 pm on Thursday and found an ongoing disturbance involving agency workers and children. More people arrived, and the agency workers and children were moved to a safe place.
West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin condemned the violence, stating that such criminal behaviour would not be tolerated. She urged the public not to speculate, reported the BBC. Brabin added, “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.”
A resident of Luxor Street described police removing children and social workers from a house. "Everybody gathered around [the house], and it just got out of control," she said. The woman told the BBC that up to 50 police officers were present as a crowd gathered and became aggressive. She said, "The crowd just followed from there, and that's when it spread onto the other streets."
West Yorkshire Police promised a full investigation into all criminal offences, including damage to vehicles from fire. They stated, "All criminal offences will be fully investigated by detectives from Leeds CID and the force’s homicide and major inquiry team. We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible."
Mayor Tracy Brabin said, “I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again.”
Earlier, as the disorder escalated, a bus was set on fire on Foundry Approach, creating flames and thick black smoke visible for miles, reported The Guardian. The bus burned for several hours as local people threw water on it gathered from nearby homes.
Some people travelled from outside the area to watch the riot after seeing it on social media. One spectator told Sky News he had driven for 50 minutes to see "history being made."
