Riots erupt in Leeds after social workers intervene with Romani family

After overnight riots, cleanup and damage assessment are ongoing in Leeds, northern England. Residents of one district clashed with police and earlier set two buses on fire. According to the media, the riots broke out after social workers arrived to take children from a Romani family.

Burned cars, scuffles with officers, flying stones, and crowds on the streets late into the night characterized the chaos in one of the districts of Leeds.

According to Sky News, the clash with the police occurred after social workers arrived to take children from a Romani family living there.

Riots in Leeds broke out on Thursday afternoon and lasted until late at night.

In videos posted online, one could see that hour by hour, more people were coming out onto the street. The crowd gathered in various spots, including around a burning bus.

“Then riot police came and sparked everything up. Bricks were thrown and then the riot police retreated. Then they lit the bus on fire,” said the owner of a restaurant near the scene in an interview with Manchester Evening News.

A video also surfaced online showing men setting a vehicle on fire. Internet users commented that "they don’t cover their faces because they don't fear the law."

One of the people who tried to calm the situation and even extinguish the fire was a local councilor.

In a later interview with Sky News, he noted that social problems such as poverty and exclusion lead to such situations.

Some residents criticized the police for not intervening earlier, even though officers were on site. Only sometime later, when the crowd began to thin out, they set up barriers around the burning bus, and firefighters intervened.

Authorities emphasize that the children were transported to a "safe place" before the riots broke out. No one was injured. There is also no information about arrests.

Local police representatives appealed to residents not to "spread rumors and unverified information" about the causes of these riots.

According to them, local criminal groups seeking to "destabilize and create tension in the local community" are responsible.