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SINCE KAMALA HARRIS' LAST PRESS CONFERENCE

UK in turmoil after wave of riots in Leeds

The rioting began, according to media reports, after social services intervened in a family home to separate a son from his parents.

Leeds riotsX / @CilComLFC.

Published by
Juan Peña

The British city of Leeds was the victim of a violent riot that broke out Thursday and spread into Friday. Several cars and public transport vehicles were set on fire, and police clashed with groups of individuals in the streets in an attempt to restore order.

The incidents have been concentrated in an area of the city known as Harehills. While police authorities have not confirmed what led to the disruption, local media reports suggest that the rioting began after a police action.

According to The Telegraph, West Yorkshire Police intervened at a family home on the orders of social services for an alleged case of domestic violence. Videos circulating on social media show police officers entering a home and separating a woman from a child.

Harehills residents speak to the media

The British media spoke to several residents of Harehills, the area where the riots originated on Thursday. According to the story of the people living there, the problems with social services began when two underage brothers fought and the family took the child to the hospital. 

Once at the medical center, the health workers reported the incident to social services. After an investigation into the family, social services allegedly separated the four minors from their parents. The police were involved in the operation.

West Yorkshire Police have not confirmed this and have asked to avoid speculation about what led "a criminal minority" to cause riots in the British city. However, theories explaining the outbreak of violence are multiplying in the media and online.

Despite images of violence showing a double-decker bus and a number of vehicles being set on fire, local authorities claim there have been no injuries in the riots. There has, however, been a fair amount of property damage, which West Yorkshire Police says "will be fully investigated by detectives from Leeds CID and the force’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team." Some footage shows civilian individuals going so far as to attack and completely overturn police vehicles.

Arrest of an autistic minor

The West Yorkshire Police Department has already been part of a controversy in the summer of 2023, when it intervened at a home to somewhat violently arrest a minor diagnosed with autism.  

The teenager, 16, was charged with "incitement to hatred" for a "homophobic public order offense." She was accused of calling a policewoman a "lesbian."

The case went viral on social media, which was outraged by the West Yorkshire Police's violent approach to the autistic girl, while also accusing them of being lenient with more dangerous criminals.

This is one of the first major incidents under the recently formed Labour government. U.K. Home Department Secretary of State Yvette Cooper has been in office just over two weeks. On X, she spoke about the events in Leeds, "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." 

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin urged people using disorder in Leeds to "inflame community tensions" to "think again."

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