What we know about Harehills riot in Leeds

Watch: Vehicles set alight and police car overturned amid disorder in Leeds suburb

Vehicles were set on fire and a police car was overturned following an outbreak of disorder in Leeds.

West Yorkshire Police said officers were called to an incident in Harehills on Thursday afternoon and found an “ongoing disturbance” involving agency workers and children.

Livestream footage on social media showed a double decker bus ablaze, while other videos showed an overturned police car on the road with its blue lights flashing, sirens blaring, car alarms going off and crowds of people in the street.

A large number of public order officers were deployed to the location in what remains an ongoing incident, police confirmed in a statement issued early on Friday morning. No injuries had been reported.

What we know

Officers were called to an address in Luxor Street at 5pm on Thursday where they found an incident involving agency workers and children.

More people started to attend the location and agency workers and children were taken to a safe place, police confirmed.

According to the BBC, there was no visible uniformed police presence at that stage.

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

Cllr Salma Arif, from Gipton & Harehills, and an Inspector Nicholls issued a joint video statement on X warning people to avoid the area at around 8.21pm on Thursday evening.

Sky News northern correspondent Shingi Mararike said on Thursday night the police presence had not very visible, adding: "What we had was a police helicopter overhead and not much more as the police tried to avoid inflaming the tensions."

Yahoo News has contacted West Yorkshire Police for a statement.

The force issued a statement early on Friday morning, saying they were continuing to respond to the incident and that appropriate specialist public order resources were attending, adding: “Officers are also reviewing footage which has circulated on social media showing offending.'

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

Mothin Ali, a member of the Green Party and the local councillor for Hare Hill, Leeds, was seen intervening in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), dragging a wheelie bin away from the fire after rioters had tried to add it to the flames and taking a wooden pallet from another demonstrator.

Ali was heard telling another rioter “there are children in there”, in what seemed to be a reference to a home near the fire.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the “shocking scenes and attacks”, adding in a post on X: “Disorder of this nature has no place in our society.”

What we don’t know

It has not yet been confirmed what sparked the riot. A local restaurant owner and other residents have reportedly said it was linked to children being taken into care.

West Yorkshire Police has warned people not to speculate on the cause, saying in a statement posted shortly before 1am. “Residents are urged not to speculate on the potential causes of Thursday's disorder in Harehills. Police are aware of false rumours and incorrect claims suggesting persons responsible."

Earlier, Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, criticised a social media post by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, which said: "The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

It is not know what, if any, evidence Farage based his post on.

Sobel responded on X: "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."

Yahoo News has contacted Sobel and Farage for further comment.