Leeds riot NOT the first time chaos has erupted in suburb plagued by machete-waving gangs & youths who terrorise locals
VEHICLES were set on fire and a police car was overturned during a night of violent disorder – but it’s not the first time chaos has erupted in a Leeds suburb.
Shocking photos today show the burnt-out remains of a double-decker bus that was torched in Harehills as residents were warned to stay at home on Thursday night.
Footage on social media showed a toppled police car on the road with its blue lights flashing, sirens blaring, car alarms going off and crowds of people in the street – some of them shouting.
The chaos was said to be linked to local children being taken into care with some people in the community responding by setting fires and “throwing stones”.
But the Harehills area is renowned for its mass riots in June 2001, as well as the killing of a 20-year-old man, Adam Chadwick, shot in 2008 in a case of mistaken identity.
In 2007, a 14-year-old girl, Zuzanna Zommer, was sexually assaulted and murdered in a frenzied attack by her neighbour, convicted rapist Michael Clark.
In 2021 a 19-year-old was jailed for punching an off-licence owner and threatening him with a machete in a row over a £3.75 drink, before using it to cause £3,000 worth of damage by smashing up the shop doors.
And residents claim the area is blighted by alcohol and substance abuse.
A recent spate of gangland-style stabbings and murders has left people fearing for their safety.
In September a 16-year-old was slashed on Florence Street by two men armed with machetes.
An employee who works at a garage along the street where it happened, who didn’t wish to be named, told The Sun: “Harehills life is bulls***.
“I am from Belgium and I can’t believe what I’m seeing here. I need to move away.
“I came here and I’ve never seen anything like it. I feel unsafe. How can there be a murder on the street where you work?
“A murder? I thought England had high standards.”
Simanga Musipa, 48, who runs a music studio in his home on Ashton Place, told us: “I live my life too much like I lived in Zimbabwe.
“The problem around here is that there is no CCTV – the police and the council don’t do anything about the problems here.
“If you or I were to commit a crime, we would think about putting a balaclava on, but not round here.
“It all happens out in the open because there is nothing to keep an eye on anybody.
“Crimes that should be happening in other places are happening here because they are away from cameras.”
Police confirmed the mass disturbance that engulfed Harehills last night followed a visit by social services to a local home yesterday afternoon.
Officers went to the address at around 5pm after the council workers – who were dealing with a child protection matter – were met with “hostility”, they said.
But they were then “attacked” upon arrival – with locals setting fires and damaging their vehicles.
Photos later showed how the number of rioters grew to several thousand people.
And police said they had withdrawn their officers as they became the “sole target” of the angry mob.
Following mediation with local leaders, they returned to the area and arrested “several” people throughout the night.
2001 Harehills riot
THE 2001 Harehills riots erupted after the wrongful arrest of Hossein Miah.
West Yorkshire Police had arrested Mr Miah because of a suspicious taxi disc.
He claimed the arresting officer injured him after he was pulled out of a car.
Media reports also state that he was violently arrested and pepper spray was used during his arrest.
This caused uproar and hundreds of men from different ethnic backgrounds retaliated violently to this.
They called 999 to lure officers to Banstead Park reporting that an officer had been hit by a petrol bomb.
When they attended to the scene, they were barricaded in with burning furniture from a second-hand store nearby as well as washing machines.
Over 20 cars were burned, officers and a journalist were hurt and a shop was burnt down.
The violence died down after an eight-hour standoff between the men and the police.
In the end West Yorkshire Police expressed their regret for the distress caused to Mr Miah and his family.
The arresting officer in the alleged wrongful arrest was also cleared of any wrongdoing by the Police Complaints Authority.
Assistant chief constable Pat Twiggs, from West Yorkshire Police, said today it was important to avoid “speculation”, adding that those responsible would be brought to justice.
He said: “There has understandably been a great deal of speculation, commentary and concern following the disorder in Harehills, Leeds overnight.
“Our officers responded to a call from Children’s Social Care at around 5pm yesterday (Thursday 18 July) after social workers reported being met with hostility when dealing with a child protection matter.
“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.
“A decision was taken to withdraw these officers temporarily as it was evident that the police was their sole target.
“This allowed for further community mediation to take place in order to calm the situation.
“Police then returned to the area with Fire colleagues to extinguish the remaining fires which were self-contained and didn’t pose a wider risk.
“By this point the crowd had diminished and officers were able to fully restore order.
“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.
“Anyone who may have filmed any of the disorder is asked to upload any footage via the dedicated Public Portal.”
He added: “It is important to recognise the disorder and damage was caused by a criminal minority intent on disrupting the community.
“Members of the community working in conjunction with our Key Individual Networks and Elected Members who were on the ground were trying to de-escalate the situation.
“They are also working alongside us and Leeds City Council today to clean-up the area.
“There will be a significant policing presence within Harehills over the weekend and future attempts to engage in crime and disorder will be met with a robust response.
“I would like to thank the Harehills community once again for their efforts and support.”