Leeds Riots: Did the Violence Have Racial Undertones? UK Politician Blames ‘Politics of the Subcontinent’

Rioters violently attacked the streets of Leeds, UK, forcing police to flee for safety. In Leeds’ Harehills, a disturbance around 10:30 PM (India time) on July 18 escalated into a prolonged riot, during which a mob overturned a police car.

Social media footage shows youths attacking the car with officers inside, breaking its windows while bystanders filmed the chaos. One man picked up a child’s scooter and smashed the car’s windows before the rioters overturned it. Later footage showed many police officers arriving to control and disperse the fighting mob.

What Leeds MP Said

British politician Nigel Farage was accused of worsening the situation in Leeds by spreading misinformation on social media. The Clacton MP claimed that “politics of the subcontinent” were happening on the streets of Leeds. In response, MP Alex Sobel stated that Farage knew nothing about the situation and had not been briefed on it.

“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,” Sobel wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

What Leeds City Council’s Chief Executive Said

Tom Riordan, Leeds City Council’s Chief Executive, explained to the BBC that the unrest was not race-related. On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he mentioned that the situation has since calmed, and a clean-up is ongoing. Riordan attributed the disorder to a “family incident” which prompted police involvement and concerned the local community.

“As always, in Leeds, we work with the community and families. We always intervene where we need to when children are at risk. It was an incident that was probably misinterpreted, I would say,” he added.

Riordan stated that the violence had erupted quickly in the area, describing it as a “shocking incident” that nobody wanted to see in their city. He added that, while it involved a small but significant minority, those responsible should face the full force of the law.