Everything we know about what caused Leeds riot

A clean-up operation is underway in a Leeds suburb after rioting erupted on the streets on Thursday night.

Harehills, an area east of the city centre, witnessed widespread disorder into the early hours, as crowds set fire to a double-decker bus, overturned a police vehicle and hurled missiles at officers.

Several witnesses said the chaos was a response to local children being taken into care – but authorities are yet to confirm the full circumstances.

Here is what we know.

What caused the unrest?

West Yorkshire police said that officers were called to an address on Luxor Street, Harehills, at 5pm on Thursday, where they found an “ongoing disturbance” involving “agency workers” and children.

As people began to attend the location, a decision was made to remove the agency workers and the children to a “safe place”, a spokesperson added.

A crowd started to gather and more officers were sent to the area, where “pockets of disorder” were emerging.

Several witnesses told the BBC that the unrest broke out in response to local children being taken into care.

A local restaurant owner gave the same explanation to the PA News Agency, adding that some people in the community reacted by setting fires and “throwing stones”.

The Telegraph reported that social services took four children into care from a family.

A local, who claimed to know the family involved, told the newspaper that the unrest had begun as a protest against the children being removed unfairly.

They said a hospital called the authorities after a baby was admitted with an injury caused by a sibling.

“I have heard it was a baby who was injured – by a sibling,” the resident, who spoke anonymously, said. “But it was just an accident and it happened a while ago.

“The parents took the baby to the hospital for a check-up. They could not believe it when the hospital called social services. After all this time, the social workers then took the four children into care.

“They did not give the family a reason. They just said it was for the best. Those kids have never been harmed by their parents and that is why people got so angry. It was a protest.”

Another resident told The Telegraph that the children were taken into care for “safeguarding reasons”.

They added: “I have to say if innocent babies are harmed and social services did nothing they would be accused of not doing their jobs. So they have acted and this is the outcome. It is disgusting.”

In a statement early on Friday, West Yorkshire police said it believed the disorder was “instigated by a criminal minority intent on disrupting community relations”.

The force said it would “strongly discourage” residents from speculating on the cause of the disruption.

“Officers are aware of incorrect information circulating on social media suggesting persons potentially responsible,” a spokesperson added.

The full circumstances have not yet been confirmed by authorities.

How did the riot unfold?

The “pockets of disorder” described by police escalated into full-scale rioting as the evening progressed.

Large crowds gathered on the streets, with social media footage showing car windows being smashed and objects thrown at officers.

One clip showed the rioters attacking a police vehicle with a pram, rocks and bicycles, before flipping it onto its side.

A series of fires were lit over the evening, fuelled by accessible objects such as wheelie bins and wooden pallets.

Black smoke billowed into the sky from a double-decker bus that was set alight, burning completely to the ground.

Locals were seen attempting to put out the blaze with buckets of water in the absence of the fire service.

Hundreds of people remained on residential streets littered with bricks, glass and other debris into the early hours.

Riesa, a pharmacy dispenser who did not want to give her last name, said she witnessed “quite violent” scenes.

The 26-year-old, who lives off Harehills Lane, said: “They were attacking police cars, throwing things at the police cars – anything they could pick up off the floor really. Rocks from the garden, rubbish, drinks, anything.

“Drinks were definitely being thrown at the police – water or juice or fizzy drinks, or anything they had in their hands basically, at the cars because [the police] were trying not to get too close because it was quite violent.”

She said about an hour later, when she was back home, she heard “chanting and screaming” from outside, adding that it sounded like “a thousand people”.

“Looking out the window, you can see that people were attacking cars that were just at the traffic light trying to go past them, but they wouldn’t turn around because I think they were getting quite scared because there were so many people,” she continued.

“A few minutes after that, looking out my house, I could just see big black smoke coming from the main road.

“My husband said that they were pulling bins from people’s businesses or houses and just putting them into the middle of the road full of rubbish and just setting it on fire.”

She continued: “There was a bus at the lights, obviously stopped by all these people as well. He was trying to get past, obviously he couldn’t, so he just reversed and just stopped basically outside my street, and just left the bus there because he felt he was in danger.

“I did see people throwing things at the bus before the driver had got out. Someone threw some glass at the bus.”

On Friday morning, West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Craig Nicholls described the events as an “appalling breakdown of social order that left many in shock and fear”.

Mr Nicholls said: “This disorder was utterly unacceptable and underscores the unpredictable challenges faced by our officers daily.

“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.”

First Bus confirmed that one of the company’s vehicles was set on fire with another caught up in the chaos.

A spokesperson for the company in Leeds said: “Two of our vehicles have been caught up in the public disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds this evening.

“We can confirm that both drivers are unhurt and we have no reports of injuries to passengers.

“One of our vehicles has been set on fire but was empty as the customers had earlier been transferred to another bus together with the driver.”

The spokesperson said all services are being diverted from the area of Harehills caught up in disorder.

Despite the wide-scale disruption, West Yorkshire Police said that no one had been reported injured.

How did the authorities respond?

As the disorder escalated, West Yorkshire Police dispatched additional officers to the area and closed off surrounding roads.

Insp Nicholls, from the East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Team, urged residents to stay indoors and for anyone in a crowd to return to home.

In a statement released after midnight, the force said “a large number of public order officers” had been deployed to address what remained an “ongoing incident”.

“We wish to reassure residents we are responding to the disorder incidents which have taken place, and that appropriate specialist public order resources are attending,” it added.

The force said it would conduct a full investigation into “all criminal offences… including damage to vehicles from fire”.

“(All criminal offences), will be fully investigated by detectives from Leeds CID and the force’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team,” police said.

The spokesman assured the public those involved in the violent uprising would be held accountable for their actions.

They said: “We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible.”

On Friday, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had not been safe to send crews to Harehills in the early evening on Thursday.

“After evaluating the situation and considering the potential danger to our fire crews, it was determined that it was not safe to put out the fires,” a spokesperson told the BBC.

“We want to assure the public that we were ready to respond promptly if lives or homes were in danger.”

The fire service thanked local community leaders who intervened, adding that crews extinguished the fires later that evening.

What have politicians said?

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, herself a West Yorkshire MP, said she was “appalled at the shocking scenes” in Harehills. “Disorder of this nature has no place in our society,” she added.

In a follow-up statement on Friday, she gave police her full backing in “taking the strongest possible action” against the rioters.

“The scenes of criminality and disorder in Leeds last night were disgraceful, including attacks on police vehicles and public transport, and will have been very distressing for local residents,” she said.

I am appalled at the shocking scenes and attacks on police vehicles & public transport in Leeds tonight. Disorder of this nature has no place in our society.

My thanks go to West Yorkshire police for their response. I am being kept regularly updated.

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) July 18, 2024

“Those responsible must face the full force of the law and West Yorkshire Police have my support in pursuing the perpetrators and taking the strongest possible action against them.”

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Bradbin said she was “reassured” there had been no serious injuries and thanked the emergency services in a social media post.

She urged people using the disorder to “inflame community tensions” to “think again”.

This is a situation you know nothing about and no one has briefed you on.

You are inflaming a situation with misinformation.

Politicians have a responsibility to not exacerbate situations particularly with no knowledge of them.

I expect you to issue an apology. https://t.co/VM48kgTLdT

— Alex Sobel MP for Leeds Central and Headingley (@alexsobel) July 18, 2024

In a post on X, Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the “politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds.” “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he added.

Replying to the post, Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, told the Clacton MP he was “inflaming the situation without being in full possession of the facts.”

“This is a situation you know nothing about and no one has briefed you on,” he said.

“Politicians have a responsibility to not exacerbate situations particularly with no knowledge of them,” he added. “I expect you to issue an apology.”

Mr Farage hit back: “When will you and the Labour Party apologise for irresponsible mass migration?”