‘No arrests’: police update after Nigel Farage Reform rally and counter-protest in Leeds
Police have confirmed that no arrests were made and no incidents were reported as Nigel Farage held a rally in Leeds last night.
A counter-protest took place outside the First Direct Arena ahead of the Reform leader’s event on Tuesday (March 24) evening. The Yorkshire Evening Post was in attendance last night - see our report.
The rally took place ahead of the May local elections taking place in just a few weeks. Voters across Leeds will be heading to the polls to decide who will represent them on the city council.
Mr Farage is touring the country as part of Reform’s campaign and it included the stop in Leeds on March 24. Leeds Stand Up To Racism organised a counter-protest, which took place in the build-up to the rally.
No trouble took place in the city on Tuesday night, West Yorkshire Police have confirmed. A spokesperson for the force said: “There were no arrests and no reported incidents.”
Speaking ahead of the rally, Reform supporter Nick Swire, of Cross Gates, told the YEP: “I’ve come to see Mr Farage and see what he's got to say rather than what you see on the telly.”
Asked what issues he wants to see given prominence in the elections, he added: “If you go out to the suburbs, the roads are terrible. There's litter. It's just really rundown everywhere.
“They're spending a lot in the town centre, but when you go out to Cross Gates where I live it's terrible. They need to inject a bit of investment."
Brannoc Stevenson, a Green Party candidate for the Roundhay ward, who joined the protest, said: “We want to send a message that the divisive politics of Reform aren’t welcome.
“We want to present an alternative politics that doesn’t pit people against each other, and let Farage know that our communities won’t be divided.”
Residents across Leeds are heading to the polls on May 7 in the latest city council election. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday, April 20.