The city of Leeds, in the central United Kingdom, saw street riots that early reports say started after social workers removed five children, one of whom was injured, from a family.

Disturbances broke out Thursday evening, July 18, in the Harehills area of Leeds after the children were removed. It is unclear if the involved family is Romanian, but according to Biziday.ro, videos posted on social media clearly show that those overturning the police car speak Romanian.

"Let this go down in history! Let the special forces from Bucharest come because we'll overthrow them too," can be heard from those overturning the police car that had come to assist the social workers.

WY Police car flipped in Harehills, Leeds.
byu/GottsParkLad inpoliceuk

The rioters became more daring after that. A double-decker bus was set on fire and burned completely, while a second bus was damaged. Several dozen police officers who came to calm things down were also attacked and chased away by an increasingly large crowd gathered on the streets of Leeds.

The mob was eventually dispersed by riot police. Neither the authorities nor the British press are mentioning Romanians specifically, only referring to "an incident involving children and social workers." Home Secretary and West Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper said she was "appalled at the shocking scenes," according to the BBC.

According to Sky News, citing a local witness, the incident "is related to how local children are being cared for."

British police are reviewing the footage and said the full weight of the law will be applied to those involved. No one was harmed in the disturbances.

At the same time, police discouraged speculation in the matter.

"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," said West Yorkshire Police in a press release.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: screenshots from Reddit, X videos)