The weeping man supported by friends points to the sky as emotions run high in Harehills tonight

Heartbreaking footage shows a man crying after children are believed to have been taken by social services – sparking a night of rioting in a Leeds suburb. The man, understood to be the children’s father, was pictured being held up by two friends and pointing to the sky as tears streamed down his face today.

Police have confirmed the mass disorder which broke out on Harehills in Leeds following a social services visit to a house yesterday afternoon. Officers went to the address at around 5pm after council workers – who were dealing with a child protection issue – were met with “hostility”, they said.

But they were then “attacked” on arrival – locals setting fire to and damaging their vehicles. Photographs later showed the number of rioters growing to around 2,000 people, with a double-decker bus set on fire overnight.

Read more: Arrests made in Harehills riots as police chief warns: ‘our investigation will be relentless – turn yourself in’

Police said they withdrew their officers because they became the “only target” of the angry crowd. Following mediation with local leaders, they returned to the area and arrested “several” people overnight.

It is understood that the parents of the four children who were taken into the care of social services were originally from Romania. And now there are fears that far-right groups will try to stir up tensions.

Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs, of West Yorkshire Police, today said it was important to avoid “speculation”, adding that those responsible would be brought to justice. He said: “There has understandably been much speculation, comment and concern following the disorder in Harehills, Leeds overnight.

“Our officers responded to a call from Children’s Social Services at around 5pm yesterday (Thursday 18 July) after social workers reported being met with hostility when dealing with a child protection issue. the child. Responding officers were assaulted and assisted Child Welfare staff to safety.

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“As the disorder intensified, damage to vehicles occurred and several fires broke out. We continuously assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist law enforcement officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and rockets from a large group.

“A decision was taken to temporarily withdraw these officers as it was clear that the police were their only target. This allowed for further community mediation to take place to defuse the situation.

“The police then returned to the area with colleagues from the Fire Department to extinguish the remaining fires, which were autonomous and did not present a greater risk.

“By this time the crowd had thinned out and officers were able to fully restore order. Several arrests were made in connection with the disorder overnight and more arrests will be made over the coming days.”

The force’s Major Investigation Team has launched an investigation which will include reviewing CCTV and social media footage and footage to identify the perpetrators.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for all those involved and will work closely with our criminal justice partners to bring them to justice,” he added.

“It is important to recognize that the disorder and damage was caused by a criminal minority intent on disrupting the community. Community members working with our key individual networks and elected members on the ground were trying to defuse the situation.

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“They are also working alongside us and Leeds City Council today to clean up the area. There will be a significant police presence in Harehills over the weekend and future attempts to engage in crime and disorder will be met with a strong response.

“I would like to thank the Harehills community again for their efforts and support.”