History of rioting at Leeds?

[VCK]

OK, well this is what I've gathered by reading things, but if anyone was there (especially before 2005) I'd be grateful. I;m not some sadistic bastard who gets off on the idea of someone being injured by an exploding cannister, I'm just intrigued.

I've heard nothing about any trouble in 1999 but then again I've heard nothing much about the 1999 fest in general since few people seemed to go.

2000, from what I've gathered saw a bit of trouble on the last night with burning toilet blocks and this was even worse in 2001.

2002 was the year of the big riots, with police helicopters being asked to come in and people lobbing missiles at it, and more burning toilets. The reason Leeds fest moved from Temple Newsam to Bramham.

2003, nothing. The fear that Leeds may be shut down if anything happens probably instilled fear in the idiots.

Again, I've heard nothing intense about 2004 although apparently security were on a massive power trip which could have led to the events of the following year.

2005 was the worst for Bramham, with riot police being brought in and Carling trucks being looted.

2006 and 2007, I've not heard much about. Apparently in 2006 it was because it was raining on the last night so no-one could be arsed starting fires etc.

2008 was pretty bad for cannister explosions, thefts and general twattery but there was no rioting.

Edited October 12, 2008 by VCK

[tazzyb]

I was there all three of the riots at Leeds before it moved to Bramham Park.

First year (think it may have been 99 my festival history is a bit blurry lol I usually remember which festival I was at by which tent I had lol)

Anyway it was the year oasis headlined on the Sunday night. Busiest day of the whole weekend sure they must have sold out all the day tickets for that day. I remember watching oasis who went over their time frame. They were told to stop playing but refused. As you can imagen this cost a percentage of the crowd excited and worked up. When oasis came off stage most of the crowd went into the campsites. No one was checking to see if you had camping wrist band. There was high spirits for a while then people got bored as there was nothing to do. This is when the fires started, security tried to stop them and were getting things thrown at them. The same happened to the fire brigade. There were police hellicoptors riot police the works.

Next year they but the toilets in metal compounds. In my camping field people tried to set fire to them on the Saturday night. Sunday night it kicked off again. The toilets in my field were the first to go, so the rioters moved from field to field. From where my tent was I could see another two camping fields and a huge block of toilets on fire near cars and food vans. the riot police were there trying to keep people away as car windows were exploding but kept being attacked.

The next year all you heard all weekend was people getting excited about the riot. In my camping field I saw a burger van get ransacked while it was opened and staffed but there were that many people they did not stand a chance. In our field had security guarding the toilets all weekend again in a metal compound. When it started kicking off they locked themselves inside the compound. It was truely shocking people throwing petrol bombs over knowing there were people in there. When the fire got going they started throwing light bulbs over which they had pulled down when trashing the lighting and generators. The crowd then got a scaffolding rig you know the one security sit on and used it as a battering ram to get into the compound.

To be fair every year it was a smallish group of people doing the damage with a much larger group of idiots egging them on. Most people kept away and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Me included. It horrible when it happens though means no sleep as your worried about something happening to your tent when your asleep.

[thomasowen]

2006 I saw nothing, 2007 nothing really apart from hearing a few loud explosions and seeing a huge fire in the arena. this year there were loads and loads of uncontrolled fires and I heard loads of explosions in the night. There also seemed to be a few people out of control but certainly nothhing I could describe as being a riot.

EDIT: 2007 SEEMED LIKE A REALLY BAD YEAR FOR THEFT BOTH FROM THE PEOPLE I HAVE SPOKEN TO AS WELL AS PEOPLE ON THIS BOARDS.

Edited October 12, 2008 by thomasowen

[VCK]

I was there all three of the riots at Leeds before it moved to Bramham Park.

First year (think it may have been 99 my festival history is a bit blurry lol I usually remember which festival I was at by which tent I had lol)

Anyway it was the year oasis headlined on the Sunday night. Busiest day of the whole weekend sure they must have sold out all the day tickets for that day. I remember watching oasis who went over their time frame. They were told to stop playing but refused. As you can imagen this cost a percentage of the crowd excited and worked up. When oasis came off stage most of the crowd went into the campsites. No one was checking to see if you had camping wrist band. There was high spirits for a while then people got bored as there was nothing to do. This is when the fires started, security tried to stop them and were getting things thrown at them. The same happened to the fire brigade. There were police hellicoptors riot police the works.

Next year they but the toilets in metal compounds. In my camping field people tried to set fire to them on the Saturday night. Sunday night it kicked off again. The toilets in my field were the first to go, so the rioters moved from field to field. From where my tent was I could see another two camping fields and a huge block of toilets on fire near cars and food vans. the riot police were there trying to keep people away as car windows were exploding but kept being attacked.

The next year all you heard all weekend was people getting excited about the riot. In my camping field I saw a burger van get ransacked while it was opened and staffed but there were that many people they did not stand a chance. In our field had security guarding the toilets all weekend again in a metal compound. When it started kicking off they locked themselves inside the compound. It was truely shocking people throwing petrol bombs over knowing there were people in there. When the fire got going they started throwing light bulbs over which they had pulled down when trashing the lighting and generators. The crowd then got a scaffolding rig you know the one security sit on and used it as a battering ram to get into the compound.

To be fair every year it was a smallish group of people doing the damage with a much larger group of idiots egging them on. Most people kept away and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Me included. It horrible when it happens though means no sleep as your worried about something happening to your tent when your asleep.

[tazzyb]

Oasis headlined 2000. As I said, I've heard nothing about riots in 1999.

[Rachie]

I was there all three of the riots at Leeds before it moved to Bramham Park.

First year (think it may have been 99 my festival history is a bit blurry lol I usually remember which festival I was at by which tent I had lol)

Anyway it was the year oasis headlined on the Sunday night. Busiest day of the whole weekend sure they must have sold out all the day tickets for that day. I remember watching oasis who went over their time frame. They were told to stop playing but refused. As you can imagen this cost a percentage of the crowd excited and worked up. When oasis came off stage most of the crowd went into the campsites. No one was checking to see if you had camping wrist band. There was high spirits for a while then people got bored as there was nothing to do. This is when the fires started, security tried to stop them and were getting things thrown at them. The same happened to the fire brigade. There were police hellicoptors riot police the works.

Next year they but the toilets in metal compounds. In my camping field people tried to set fire to them on the Saturday night. Sunday night it kicked off again. The toilets in my field were the first to go, so the rioters moved from field to field. From where my tent was I could see another two camping fields and a huge block of toilets on fire near cars and food vans. the riot police were there trying to keep people away as car windows were exploding but kept being attacked.

The next year all you heard all weekend was people getting excited about the riot. In my camping field I saw a burger van get ransacked while it was opened and staffed but there were that many people they did not stand a chance. In our field had security guarding the toilets all weekend again in a metal compound. When it started kicking off they locked themselves inside the compound. It was truely shocking people throwing petrol bombs over knowing there were people in there. When the fire got going they started throwing light bulbs over which they had pulled down when trashing the lighting and generators. The crowd then got a scaffolding rig you know the one security sit on and used it as a battering ram to get into the compound.

To be fair every year it was a smallish group of people doing the damage with a much larger group of idiots egging them on. Most people kept away and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Me included. It horrible when it happens though means no sleep as your worried about something happening to your tent when your asleep.

[VCK]

So at Temple Newsam, was the rioting in both campsites or mainly just focused on one? Like, I've heard 2000 and 2001 the major stuff happened on Jimmy Hill but in 2002 things kicked off in Red.

[tazzyb]

It started in the nearest campsites to the arena and they just moved from campsite to campsite when they had successfully destroyed everything they could.

[Avid Merrion]

I was at every festival at Temple Newsham.

1999 was a quiet festival, not many people there and it all went well.

2000 started on the Monday night after Oasis had finished their set

2001 was pretty bad, we took a video camera that year and I have it all on tape somewhere.

Apart from the riots Temple Newsham was a much better site in my opinion.

[VCK]

Avid, would it be possible to find that tape and upload it onto the computer?

[halfpint]

Went in 2005 and was first year. In tent when everything was happening but could hear people telling stories of riot police, losing people in big piles of people, people been arrested. The noise was unbelivable....expolisions like id never heard (or heard again) and just this constant roar all night. Every year since that has been tame....this year did pack up and go at 1am as fires were getting close to tent and all those around me had gone and didnt want to be on own.

[Bradders]

What I've heard is that ironically the final nights at Temple Newsam were a lot more intense but the people were a lot more considerate than what you get these days at Bramham, ie people didn't steal others tents and throw them on fires.

[VCK]

Went in 2005 and was first year. In tent when everything was happening but could hear people telling stories of riot police, losing people in big piles of people, people been arrested. The noise was unbelivable....expolisions like id never heard (or heard again) and just this constant roar all night. Every year since that has been tame....this year did pack up and go at 1am as fires were getting close to tent and all those around me had gone and didnt want to be on own.

Edited October 16, 2008 by VCK

[bodgers]

So it had a sort of snowball effect? People from other camps going to another to smash shit up and then people from that camp joining in?

Yeah, well I can imagine it must have been a lot scarier back then than in 2008. But I disagree with the last sentence. I heard about quite a few people having to fight for their tents due to morons.

Another question - Which was the calmest last night of Leeds fest? From what I've heard, it seems to be either 1999, 2003 or 2006.

[Salt_On_Everything]

i was there from 2000-2002, and every year was bad, i can't remember which was the worst. i have no idea where we were camping each year and just that in one year we were well away from all the trouble and the other 2 we got a pretty good view. whoever said fire engines, riot police, helicopters, etc, i can vouch for that, it was pretty f**king scary. watching whole sections of toilets/campsites/pathways literally demolished was pretty f**king mental, we certainly watched from a distance. worse thing i saw tho, was one of thos esecurity vans f**king ragging it down a pathway and knocking someone down, was horrible, thankfully they only clipped him and knocked him to the side of the van but it could have been so much worse.... scary stuff. still, safe to say, at all the fests i've been to in the 7 years since i last went to leeds, i've never seen anything remotely as bad.

[TalkShow Bob]

Oasis headlined 2000. As I said, I've heard nothing about riots in 1999.

But f**king hell, things are in perspective now. I mean, I thought it was a bit worrying in Red on the last night this year because of the explosions everywhere and that twat who woke me up trying to break into my tent. But it was lightweight compared to those stories. Especially the last one which I gather was 2002 which, from what I've heard was terrifying for all who witnessed it. I've heard the rioting went on in Red but was there any in Yellow?

What I've heard is that ironically the final nights at Temple Newsam were a lot more intense but the people were a lot more considerate than what you get these days at Bramham, ie people didn't steal others tents and throw them on fires.

Edited January 26, 2009 by TalkShow Bob

[onewingedangel]

In 2005 it all escalated because the event security had no clue about how to handle themselves. All started with a small group of people grouped around a small fire in a trash can paying drums etc. the security got a little rough getting the crowds to disperse and the disruptive element took it as a cue to set off trying to tip telegraph poles, looting of the refridgerated lorries and unbelievable trying to push a lorry into the now grown fire - we were sat at the top of the bank with a few beers watching the chaos in disbelief.

Hopefully, event security has now been taught how to control the crowds rather than set them off.

[phil123]

Went in 2005 and was first year. In tent when everything was happening but could hear people telling stories of riot police, losing people in big piles of people, people been arrested. The noise was unbelivable....expolisions like id never heard (or heard again) and just this constant roar all night. Every year since that has been tame....this year did pack up and go at 1am as fires were getting close to tent and all those around me had gone and didnt want to be on own.

[daisylane]

theres no riots as such these days, just a lot of fires on the last day and the odd idiot throwing canisters into them. though this choas often doesnt pass orange as i was camped in green and it was fine.

and there is quite often theft, yes, but if you don't leave valuables in your tent then it shouldn't be a problem.

[noalarms]

I've only ever been to bramam park and there has never been riots and i've never been robbed. 2008 there were loads of massive fires though, and loads of has canistors being blown up. I remember that much... these stewards left their fire extinguisher in our campsite.

[tolywoly]

2005 was the worst I've seen, although I didn't see any riot police.

Security were idiots that year.

Never seen any person-on-person violence, just distruction of property. Seen a few people injure themselves.

[Dropkick Murphy]

2005 was the worst I've seen, although I didn't see any riot police.

Security were idiots that year.

Never seen any person-on-person violence, just distruction of property. Seen a few people injure themselves.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Dropkick Murphy

[cheeky_lil_caz]

well in 04 when i first went, it was quite bad and we did get robbed on last night,but from what i remember 05 was semi bad but nothing serious,meanwhile 06 ye ah it was raining quite heavy and i don't think much happened tbh

[tolywoly]

The Leeds riots are a weird one. Never understood why it's a particular problem there, cause it's an otherwise good natured festival. Some other fest can have quite an intimidating atmosphere, never found that to be true of Leeds.

[Bradders]

Likewise. But even the 'riots' aren't particularly violent. They're just idiots throwing stuff (I'm not even convinced they throw other people's stuff. Bit of chinese whispers from people throwing completely abandoned stuff on IMO) on fires, there's never any aggression in it.