Leeds riot live: Tensions erupt in Harehills again with people urged to stay inside

Keir Starmer said police would have the government's "full support" in investigating the unrest.

Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said she was "appalled" by the riots.

Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said: "This is not a community where this happens regularly. This is a very diverse community that generally gets on well."

Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, said: "So many good people worked together to try to calm things and reduce disorder in the community they care about so much."

Police said they would "leave no stone unturned in our hunt for all those who were involved".

Police said "pockets of disorder" broke out throughout the evening, which became increasingly violent.

The windows of a police car was smashed and then tipped over by a group of people.

A double decked bus was also set on fire, with numberous other fires being lit throughout the evening.

Police were called to a house on Luxor Street in Harehills at 5pm on Thursday, July 18 and discovered an "ongoing disturbance" involving "agency workers" and children.

According to witnesses, the children and social workers were removed from the house by police officers, which caused the following unrest.

West Yorkshire Police said it was caused by "a criminal minority intent on disrupting community relations".

More pictures have emerged of the ongoing police presence in Harehills, which West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said would go on through the weekend.

Local people of Harehills have been clashing with police as the area's civil unrest continues following a night of violence.

New pictures show residents standing around police and police liason officers, some pointing their fingers and shouting.

The unrest is believed to have been caused by local children being taken into care, which prompted an emotional plea from their heartbroken father for them to return.

There will be a police presence tonight and through the weekend to ensure the unrest does not escalate, and the mayor has told parents to keep their kids inside.

Several people have been arrested after a night of violent disorder in Harehills, Leeds, with more arrests to be made over the next few days”, West Yorkshire Police has said.

Leeds was left reeling after violence erupted on the streets of the Yorkshire city where an angry mob forced ill-equipped police officers to flee for their lives.

A raging group of rioters flipped over a police car in the streets after a disturbance reported at 5pm on Thursday (July 18) turned into an hours-long riot.

Footage posted on social media shows gangs of youths targeting a police car with officers sitting inside, before smashing the vehicle's windows as onlookers film the carnage.

One man can be seen picking up a child's scooter and using it to hammer the car's windows. Extended footage then shows huge numbers of police officers turning up to try to quell the unrest and dispel the raging mob fighting in the street.

This morning, burnt out cars lay stranded as a heavy police presence remains.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has revealed how Harehills will be kept safe amid ongoing disorder.

She told a press conference that there will be "reassurance patrols" tonight and over the weekend to prevent the riots escalating.

She also confirmed talks with "key partners" to draw up a plan to keep the community safe.

She said: "We know that community members and youth workers and councillors are out and about reassuring people and encouraging them to do the right thing and to stay off the streets.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin issued an urgent plea for parents to keep their children inside to ensure their safety.

She said the recent riots in Harehills, carried out by a "criminal minority", were "so distressing for the community".

She said during a press conference: "I want to publicly commend those people who throughout the night were on the streets ensuring that the outcome wasn't worse than the outcome we saw. They went above and beyond.

"I also want to strongly urge calm and say to parents, please, please make sure that your youngsters are home with you and not on the streets."

Craig Nicholls, the chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said the riots in Harehills have been "shocking".

He told the BBC: "The police vehicle that was overturned and damaged is used in response to a 999 call - so that's one less resource we have of a finite resource

"We don't have an abundance of police vehicles. A small minority of people wanted to cause that level of damage."

He also gave his thoughts to the people in the community who witnessed the "very firghtening" events.

Footage shared today shows the moment a Leeds Green councillor and Muslim community outreach campaigner risked his own life to try to bring an end to the violent scenes.

Councillor Mothin Ali confronted rioters in the burning street as he told them: "Stop it, stop it! This is our neighbourhood! This is our neighbourhood."

A rioter then tells him, "it's gonna get worse."

He replies: "Well don't burn it then!."

The other man with Cllr Mothin Ali, believed to be Ustadh Mohammed Adam Aslam, a local Muslim youth worker, then comes to the rioters and screams "Who's inside that house? You gonna be blamed for their deaths?

"Think before you act! There's children in there. There's families in there. Think before you act. This is our neighbourhood.

"Those cameras are recording each and every one of us. Do you want them to come to your houses? We've got uncles who did this 10 years ago, and they've got their whole lives destroyed, for doing one silly thing, you've got brains."

Cllr Mothin Ali then adds: "This is your community, you can't treat it like this."

A rioter then says "all right brother" to the pair.

A shocking video has emerged of the moment that may have played a part in the Leeds riots.

In a video posted to TikTok, distressed children can be seen being dragged by police from their home and put into their van, reports the Mirror.

A young boy is seen trying to wriggle free from an officer's grip as people watch on furiously, trying to prevent them from being taken.

Since then, the father has spoken to the outlet, issuing a desperate plea for his children to be returned.

A heartbroken father has issued a desperate plea for his children to return home after they were "taken away by the police".

It is believed that the violence erupted after four children, all undr 14, were removed from their home and taken into care.

Their parents are begging for them to be returned home outside the burnt wreckage of a double decker bus, in a video given to the Mirror.

They told the outlet: "Please bring my children back. I want them back. Why take my kids? They were taken from us."

West Yorkshire Police said violent disorder broke out after officers responded to a call from Children's Social Care at around 5pm after social workers reported hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.

Assitant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said: "Responding officers were attacked and helped Children's Social Care staff withdraw to a place of safety.

"As the disorder escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires set.

"We continually assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large group."

Mr Twiggs said a decision was made to temporarily withdraw officers when it became "evident that the police was their sole target", in order to calm tensions.

He added: "Throughout the night several arrests were made in relation to the disorder and further arrests will be made over the next few days.

"The force Major Enquiry Team have launched an investigation which will include reviewing CCTV and social media footage and images to identify the perpetrators.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for all those who were involved and will work closely with our criminal justice partners to bring them to justice."

A distraught dad whose children were reportedly "taken away by the police" before riots on the streets of Leeds has pleaded for their return.

Family members were videoed sobbing in the streets of Harehills - the area of the city where the rioting took place - after social services and West Yorkshire Police officers reportedly took the youngsters away on Thursday.

Downing Street has said the Government would not "cut across a police matter" when asked whether it would support fast-tracked sentences for Harehills rioters.

Sir Keir Starmer, when he was director of public prosecutions in 2012, said rapid riot prosecutions were more important than long sentences.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would back fast sentences now, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "On this case, we'll let the police carry out their work and they have our full support in doing that."

A man who said he has lived in the area for more than 20 years has described leaving his house at about 7pm on Thursday to see people throwing bricks and stones at a police van.

Paul, who asked to be referred to by his first name only, said: "The police were trying to stand their ground but they had to get back in the van.

"The most shocking thing was when the bus went up - got set on fire. There was a bang and everybody ran.

"I don't like my kids being around this. It's just not right.

"It was just that one incident and then I think everybody jumped on the bandwagon. I don't think it was one particular people, I think everybody thought it was an excuse to have a go at the police."

Paul said he was worried there would be another night of disorder on Friday, adding: "I think it'll start again because of the tension. That tension is still there."

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said the local authority has been working with police, community leaders and agencies overnight as they respond to the serious disorder in Harehills.

They said while this is an ongoing police matter, it would not be appropriate to comment further on any alleged circumstances surrounding what happened.

Leeds urged people to avoid engaging in speculation on social media to enable people to engage with local services where they need to.

The spokesperson added: "Incidents like this do not reflect Leeds or the Harehills community as a whole. Our communities, including the one in Harehills, play a vital role in ensuring collectively we keep our neighbourhoods safe and feeling safe.

"We are immensely grateful to those key individual networks of individuals, community leaders and elected officials within Harehills who rallied together last night to help to do this and prevent the situation from worsening alongside the police."

Leeds called on people living in Harehills to stay safe and follow the latest police advice.

The spokesperson said: "We would also like to thank all the agencies for their response, and members of the community who were engaged in diffusing the issues."

Green Party councillor for Gipton and Harehills, Mothin Ali, described the scenes as "absolute mayhem" and said locals acted as "human shields".

Speaking to reporters at the scene on Friday, he said: "The scene was absolute mayhem. It was quite chaotic.

"We were trying to shelter the police, act as human shields for the police, because they were there without helmets, without shields, being pelted with bricks and bottles, so we were trying to calm people down and act as a protective barrier."

A woman, who asked not to be named, has said she was walking a friend home in Harehills on Thursday night when she heard bangs coming from the bus which had been set on fire and started having a panic attack.

Her friend said: "I was scared they were going to come up our street, torch all the cars and maybe my house."

Mothin Ali, who represents Harehills at Leeds City Council, told reporters: "It was a dangerous situation. The good thing is people were angry but they weren’t turning on each other. They weren’t attacking other people."

Mr Ali said it would be inappropriate to comment on the incident that started the disorder.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the police have her full backing in "taking the strongest possible action" against rioters in Harehills.

She said in a statement: "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.

"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.

"Local partners are meeting this morning and the police, the mayor and local councillors will be working closely with the community to provide support and reassurance and prevent further disturbances.

"Where there are incidents of disorder or unrest in communities, there is a responsibility on everyone to support the local agencies and residents who are working to resolve problems and prevent escalation. They have my support in their local work to provide a calm and firm response."

A witness to last night's riot in Harehills has claimed the disorder erupted after a family refused to allow social services to take their children away.

Mobile phone repair shop worker Aslam Ashraf, 26, told the Express: "It was just across the road. Social workers cam down to take the kids... The family would not let them go with them."

He said the alleged incident then spiralled, with fighting, stones thrown and vehicles set alight. Mr Ashraf said: "The last couple of hours were really bad. We managed to get away safely. It was a surprise. There were too many of them (rioters) and not enough police."

Riesa, a pharmacy dispenser who didn't want to give her surname, witnessed "quite violent" scenes. She said that she saw people throwing items at police officers and cars.

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."

She later heard "chanting and screaming" from outside, adding it sounded like "a thousand people".

Riesa continued: "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 said she could see black smoke coming from the main road with rioters pulling bins from people's businesses or houses, dragging them into the middle of the road full of rubbish and setting them on fire.

A police cordon is in place around a burnt out vehicle in Foundry Approach, Harehills, with four officers guarding the scene.

Some locals gathered to look at the damage, while a visibly emotional group of people believed to be linked to the initial incident which led to the disorder sat on a patch of grass nearby.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said it was initially unsafe for firefighters to put out two blazes in Harehills.

The service said: "At around 6pm yesterday, we were called upon to assist West Yorkshire Police in response to antisocial activities in the Harehills area of Leeds.

"During the course of the evening, two fires were ignited. 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.

"We are grateful for the efforts of local community leaders who intervened, enabling us to safely extinguish the fires just after midnight.

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

Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, said she is “absolutely appalled by the violent and thoughtless actions witnessed in Harehills last night”.

In a statement, she continued: “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.

“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.”

Harehills streets are eerily empty this morning after tensions flared last night.

Pictures show the aftermath of the disorder, with cars left completely burnt out on the streets.

This map shows where the Harehills suburb of Leeds is located. A clean up operation is underway in the neighbourhood after a night of rioting.

Leeds City Council's Chief Executive has told the BBC the unrest in Harehills was not a result of race.

Tom Riordan CBE told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the situation has calmed since last night and a clean up operation is underway.

Asked what caused the disorder, he said a "family incident" earlier on Thursday saw the police get involved, concerning the local community.

He added: "As always in Leeds we work with the community, we work with families... We always intervene where we need to where children are at risk. It was an incident that was probably misinterpreted I would say."

On how quickly violence erupted in the area, Mr Riordan said: "Obviously, it was a shocking incident for everybody and it's something we don't want to see in our city.

"It was a small minority, but a significant minority of people who were doing that. They need [to feel] the full force of the law, as the police have said."

The council boss said no one was injured and no properties damaged. He added: "When you see the pictures on social media it looks shocking, but there were lots of people in the community there observing and trying to calm things."

Mr Riordan said the chaos was not sparked by race, adding: "I would say [it was] a community tension triggered by a family incident. It was shocking, the bus being set alight and another fire being lit was unacceptable and the full force of the law needs to come on people who have done that.

"No one was injured. It was contained. It de-escalated. We're doing the clean up. This is not a community where this happens regularly. This is a very diverse community that generally gets on well."

He went on to say he was not aware of any arrests having been made so far, but would expect there to be in the next day or so.

Nigel Farage has been accused of inflaming the situation in Leeds by misinforming his followers on social media.

The Reform UK leader had claimed the "politics of the subcontinent" were playing out on the streets of Leeds in a post on X last night.

Leeds Central and Headingley MP Alex Sobel said in response: "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."

Mr Farage has been approached for comment.

The latest pictures and screenshots from social media footage show vehicles blazing in the street and a large crowd amid the unrest overnight.

Police were called to Luxor Street in the Harehills neighbourhood of Leeds at 5pm on Thursday (July 18).

West Yorkshire Police officers turned up and found an "ongoing disturbance" involving agency workers and some children.

A crowd started to gather with the children and agency workers removed from the area.

A major police presence was established, roads closed and people warned to avoid the area.

Footage appeared on social media showing a bus being set on fire and a police car overturned.

West Yorkshire Police issued a statement early on Friday (July 19) saying it believed a "criminal minority" was responsible for the disorder and had been trying to disrupt community relations.

The force said the full force of the law will be brought to bear on those responsible for the unrest.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin hints there are people "using this to inflame community tensions":

Police have released a new statement, containing a lot more detail:

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is a West Yorkshire MP, has said:

Sky News is now reporting that it looks like people are finally starting to disperse.

Police vans can be seen entering the area with officers moving towards the disorder for the first time in two hours.

A police car was overturned and bus torched, while officers were pelted with rocks.

Fire crews are also beginning to douse the shell that remains of the torched bus.

Footage posted on Twitter (X) shows the situation police are facing with rocks being thrown at them and hundreds of rioters on the streets.

If you cannot see the Tweet, wait a few seconds:

Police later added: "More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident. Some road closures are also being implemented and people are advised to avoid the area at this time.

"No injuries have been reported and enquiries are ongoing at the scene."

A tweet from Reform's Nigel Farage has sparked a reaction from Alex Sobel, the MP for Leeds Central and Headingley. Farage wrote: "The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Alex Sobel replied: "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."

A bus has been completely gutted after being set on fire during more unrest on the streets of Harehills.

This picture shows the extent of the damage.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has sounded a warning over the violent rioting which has gripped 'lawless' Leeds suburb Harehills tonight.

He posted on social media: "The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper 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.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "A crowd started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area, where some pockets of disorder were occurring.

"More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident. Some road closures are also being implemented and people are advised to avoid the area at this time.

"No injuries have been reported and enquiries are ongoing at the scene."

A number of roads have been closed and people have been urged to avoid the area.

Harehills in Leeds has been hit by rioters.

Labour councillor for the Gipton and Harehills area, Salma Arif, said people should "avoid the area if at all possible" in the update posted to social media with an Inspector Nicholls from East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Nicholls said: "If you could just stay where you are, stay in your houses while we manage this incident. If you are in the crowd I would ask you to go home please so we can keep everybody safe."

Grim footage posted on social media showed large groups of people rioting in the Harehills area of the city. In another video, a child can be seen picking up a scooter and throwing it at a police car, which people were also seen shaking from side to side.

Social media live streams from the scene showed a large crowd of people surrounding another fire in the middle of the road at around 9:10pm before riot vans rolled in around 9:29pm causing the large crowd to move away. The initial distubance broke out around 5pm.

A feature on Harehills published by the BBC in 2015 said: "One resident described Harehills as "a horrible place to live" and complained about joy riding, rubbish, drug dealing, arson and vermin."

The man's report went on to say: "Often you will see a group of young children chasing vermin into an overgrown backyard. This is a sight you would expect to see in a third-world country not the modern, vibrant city that Leeds portrays itself to be."

It is the same area that was infamously hit by the Harehills Riot in 2001, which broke out after the wrongful arrest of an Asian man, which sparked a six-hour riot.

In the riots in 2001, over the course of the rioting 26 cars were burnt out, two police officers and two journalists were severely injured, and a shop was set on fire.

Both police and members of the public were pelted with bottles and bricks.

It led to 25 men being sent to prison for their involvement in the violence which flared that day.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "At 5pm today (Thursday), police were called to an ongoing incident at an address in Luxor Street, Harehills.

"Officers attended and found an ongoing disturbance which involved some agency workers and some children.

"More people started to attend the location and a decision was made to remove the agency workers and the children to a safe place."

It is believed the disturbance broke out after social workers attended to remove a child from a family, which sparked the violent resistance.

Children and the agency workers were then escorted to safety by police amid the chaotic scenes.

People have taken to the streets in Harehills, near Leeds.

Welcome to this live blog.