2024 Harehills riot

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.

Background
Harehills is a diverse working-class suburb of Leeds situated less than two miles from the city centre. It has been described as a socio-economically deprived area; 74.2% of households in the area were deprived in 2021.

According to the 2021 census for the wider ward (not just Harehills), 38.2% of people are Asian, 34.5% are white, with black, mixed, Arab and other ethnic groups comprising the rest of the community. British people of Pakistani origin make up a plurality of the area's population. The area also has a large romani people community, who are often classified as Eastern European in demographic studies.

Gipton and Harehills ward has the highest levels of unemployment in Leeds. In 2020 the ward was described as the second most-deprived in Leeds. In 2023 the crime rate was 209.85 per 1000 residents. In 2024 West Yorkshire Police reported that crime in the ward had reduced by 40% over the preceding year.

Though there have been violent disturbances by numerous groups from across ethnicities and political affiliations, negative perceptions of the British Romani Gypsy and British Muslim communities, including associations of the communities with violent disturbances, are commonplace across Europe. The two communities poll among the highest for negative perceptions in the UK, similar to the rest of Europe, and far ahead of the British Black and British South Asian communities. These two communities are often associated with socioeconomic and educational difficulties. Concurrently, Islamophobia is seen as a key plank of populist right wing parties across Europe, who often use various migration and violent disturbances by people of Muslim origin to "whip up division".

Keir Starmer, the contemporary prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour party, wrote in 2012 that rapid riot prosecutions were more important than the length of the sentences, disagreeing then contemporary prime minister David Cameron who preferred to increase and toughen sentences. More recent discussion around the policing of violent protests have revolved around migration and protests relating to Palestine, from both the far-right and far-left.

Incident


At 5pm on 18 July 2024, West Yorkshire police responded to a residential street disturbance sparked by a dispute over four children from a residential family, being taken into care by social services. The spark has been described as a "family incident" and a "child protection matter" handled by social workers. West Yorkshire Police were called to an address on Luxor Street in Harehills to respond to a disturbance involving agency workers and children. 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.

A crowd of hundreds of people 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. Videos and images of the riot quickly spread on platforms like X and TikTok, drawing widespread attention to the incident. Cars in the area were reported to be set alight, and two First Leeds buses were attacked, one of which was set on fire. The police were 'outnumbered' and 'ran away' from riot disorder. A number of locals perceived a lack of emergency personnel at the scene for most of the night.

The riot largely began with members of the romani people community, but later escalated with members of the British Pakistani community joining in at later stages. Richard North noted that the latter rioting seems to be a "matter of mischief-making than a political statement. Noticeably absent were any Palestinian flags or chants of “from the river to the sea”".

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.

Reactions
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.

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." 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.

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.

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."

The far-right and social media users blamed the riots on the local Muslim community. 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. The Independent described how Ali was a "hero", who formed a "human shield" to stop people adding further combustible material to fires.

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".

Camilla Tominey, a journalist who studied at Leeds University, wrote that "the rioting in Leeds, harassment of MPs, and mob rule all add up to an alarming picture for the country". In particular she pointed to the notable number of young people involved in the riot, viewing this as a sign of decline and decay in British society.

Aftermath
In response to riot, the city's council has commenced an "urgent review" concerning its management of child care case. Tense Friday evening shows members of the Romanian and Roma community having a vigil and chanting “please bring the kids back”. Meanwhile, the children's parents have declared a hunger strike until their four children are returned. This decision comes after discussions with members of the Romanian and Roma community, who have accused the authorities of "systemic racism and discrimination" in managing the case involving a family from their community.