Janine GriffithsA community-led anti-racism event took place in Harehills this Friday to mark one year since unrest broke out in the area following the circulation of a video involving the removal of a Roma child by police.
Titled Harehills United with Roma, the event was held at the Leeds Caribbean and African Centre on 18 July and aims to bring together Roma residents and other local communities for an evening of reflection, cultural celebration and conversation. The programme includes live music, shared food and discussions focused on improving community relations and tackling shared concerns around inequality and marginalisation.
The event is jointly organised by Black Lives Matter UK, Connecting Roma CIC and the Bradford Race Equality Network. Organisers say the aim is to promote solidarity and understanding between communities that often face similar challenges.
“This event is important for Roma community members to gather with other ethnic community groups to discuss similar issues of institutional racism and over-policing,” said Mothin Ali, Green Party councillor for Gipton and Harehills. “I understand there may be a worry of reopening old wounds but in order to heal, the cause of the wound needs to be identified and cured. We can’t just forget about what happened last year without learning the lessons from it, otherwise we risk repeating the same mistakes.”
Several organisers and speakers say they were contacted by West Yorkshire Police either through home visits or phone calls in the run up to the event. Organisers have questioned why similar interest has not been shown in other recent Roma events, and say they hope this gathering will proceed without disruption.
Taiwo, a Leeds-based organiser with Black Lives Matter UK, said: “The Harehills uprisings last year happened because of police heavy-handedness and now the police force wants us to ‘get over it’ by being heavy-handed once again? It is a ridiculous response to an important peaceful commemorative gathering. Why do they want to stop Black Lives Matter UK from supporting the Roma community?”
Daniel Balaz, who leads the West Yorkshire organisation Connecting Roma, added: “I ran a popular event in Bradford Live – no issues and everyone had a great time. So the aggressive police interest in this event has felt like racist intimidation. Also an attempt to shut down our community from speaking up about police racism and overpolicing. It feels like West Yorkshire Police don’t think Roma or Black lives matter.”
Mothin said he is continuing to push for an official inquiry into the conduct of police and social services last year, which many believe played a role in sparking the unrest.
He added: “I’m still gonna keep pushing for the report into the conduct of social services and how they interact with people from minority ethnic backgrounds, how they interact with people from white working class backgrounds.
“I feel that there is some level of discrimination and some level of prejudice built into the system and we’ve gotta do what we can to make sure that’s identified so that we can challenge it.”
Chief Inspector Phillip Gill of Leeds District Police, confirmed that police had been talking to the organisers and the wider community ahead of the event. He said: “We are very mindful of the feedback we have received from residents about the positive change they want to see in their area.
“Our investigation into the disorder continues of course, as does our significant ongoing work with partners since last July to help communities recover from the disorder. This has complemented the extensive programme of initiatives already underway through the Clear Hold Build programme, named CommUnity Harehills, which has brought sustained reductions in crime.
“This work will continue as we work with partners to help communities move on from the scenes we witnessed.”
They are inviting the wider public and local media to attend in a show of support for dialogue, unity and understanding across communities.
The unrest in 2024, which drew widespread attention, began after video footage circulated online showing West Yorkshire Police officers removing a Roma child from a house in the area. This week’s event marks the anniversary with what organisers describe as a peaceful and positive space for dialogue and community building.
