The removal and placement was criticised by the barrister for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, claiming that inadequate time was allowed for them to visit and assess safety issues.

[7] Harehills has seen civil unrest before with a riot in the same area in 2001 after police were accused of being "heavy handed" in their arrest of a British Asian man over a driving offence.

[citation needed] Videos and images of the riot quickly spread on platforms like X and TikTok, drawing widespread attention to the incident.

[19] Throughout the evening, Gipton and Harehills Councillor Mothin Ali was present at the scene of the riot attempting to calm the violent situation.

"[22] Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the Member of Parliament from Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley of West Yorkshire, expressed her dismay stating that she was "appalled at the shocking scenes", and that "disorder of this nature has no place in our society".

"[14] British Muslim Green councillor Mothin Ali, who was at the scene trying to calm the situation and urging the police to speak in Urdu, faced online smears and received death threats after the news coverage.

[29] The Romanian Consulate in Manchester states they were maintaining communication with the family affected by child custody measures, as well as with British authorities.

[30] Journalist Emilia Stankeviciute wrote that "Local contextual factors, such as economic deprivation, can quickly turn minor incidents like this into significant unrest".

[31] Right-leaning, libertarian online magazine Spiked argued that due to the reported diversity of the rioters, integration and cultural tensions may have played a role in the unrest.