The town of Leeds and parts of East London witnessed violent riots on Thursday night after some children were forcibly removed by social services from their family.
The riots are also reported to be connected to the present unrest in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is in the grip of anti-reservation protests, and more than 100 people have been killed in these protests.
The rioters have damaged public property, and in Harehills, an underprivileged area in East Leeds mostly inhabited by immigrants from Pakistan, the rioters burned a double-decker bus, smashed and overturned police cars, and lit bonfires on the road.
Locals continue to riot in Leeds, now creating bonfires in the streets.
You can guarantee if this was a white British community, the riot police would have gone in.
The police are so scared of being labelled racist they are literally willing to let the country burn. pic.twitter.com/T0ZcCEURXm
— Turning Point UK
(@TPointUK) July 18, 2024
The rioters, who were armed with bricks and stones, threw them at the police, who were woefully inadequate and not in riot gear, and had to beat a hasty retreat along with the fire crews.
The rioters could be seen damaging property and laughing and filming it on their phones.
As already mentioned, the incident was triggered when social services arrived at a house in Harehill at 5 p.m. to take away children from a family.
This was the spark that set off riots in Leeds last night.
Social services and police remove children from an imported family, clearly a safeguarding issue.
So the other imported families, to prove they’re respectable and responsible, burn down the area. pic.twitter.com/GniNrWRLmZ
— Tommy Robinson
The residents protested, however still the children were taken away with help from the police.
The incident sparked the riots, which soon spread to adjoining areas.
The rioting is also linked to the events in Bangladesh.
Whitechapel, East London, which has a sizable Bangladeshi immigrant population, also witnessed rioting that started between two opposing groups of Bangladeshis.
One of the groups was affiliated with a particular political party in Bangladesh.
The riots left two police officers sustaining serious injuries.
The Met Police said,
“It is believed that the disorder was linked to protests in Bangladesh in recent days that have resulted in fatalities.”
Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said the rioters caused extensive property damage.
“Specialist public order officers 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 were their sole target. This allowed for further community mediation to take place in order to calm the situation.”
The police and fire crews returned after midnight.
The rioting has also led to a political slugfest, with Nigel Farage, the leader of the far-right Reform Party and the Member of Parliament from Clacton, blaming the immigrants for the unrest.
His outburst was countered by local Leeds MP, Alex Sobel.
Sobel said,
“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.”
Sobel was responding to a post by Farage on X that read:
“The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Sobel added,
“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.”
Mr. Farage responded,
“When will you and the Labour Party apologize for irresponsible mass migration?”
Another Reform MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, supported Farage and condemned the disgraceful scenes.
Anderson commented,
“Import a third-world culture, then you get third-world behavior. These animals need locking up for good. They are a product of our spineless namby-pamby establishment who has betrayed our great country.”
Meanwhile, the West Yorkshire Police in a statement said that the riots were instigated by a small minority who were intent on disturbing the relationship between communities.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said late on Thursday night she was appalled by the senseless violence, including attacks on police vehicles and public transport.
