Leeds riots: Bus set on fire, police car overturned. What's happening in UK city?

Violence broke out in Harehills in Leeds, the UK, on Thursday, as rioters burned a bus, broke the windows of a police car and flipped it over, reported the BBC.

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The Leeds riots were a conflict primarily between a large crowd of people and the police, with debris from fires, rocks and rubbish being thrown at several police vehicles.

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While property around Harehills was damaged, there were no injuries reported. The "serious disorder' event as West Yorkshire police described it, started at 5pm after officers were called to investigate a report of disturbance involving children and agency workers at Luxor street.

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Shortly afterwards, reports of unrest started coming in from various pockets of the neighbourhood. Videos of the Leeds riots started circulating on social media of a large crowd on the streets causing fires and trying to flip a police car.

More officers were deployed to control the situation and residents were advised to stay indoors.

Police left the area by 10:30pm with only a helicopter remaining to scan the area, but the damage had already been done.

The West Yorkshire Police also sent a notice stating, “We would strongly discourage residents from speculating on the cause of this disorder which we believe has been instigated by a criminal minority intent on disrupting community relations.”

Home secretary and West Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper spoke out on the Leeds riots and said she was “appalled at the shocking scene.”

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, reassured people that the unrest had not caused any bodily harm to people and urged those who were part of the riots to think again before they try to “inflame community tensions.”

The exact cause of the riots remains unknown for now.

The Guardian reported that a local restaurant owner said the chaos was linked to children being taken into care, adding that some people in the community responded by setting fires and “throwing stones”.

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