"Completely unfit for the job": West Yorkshire police autistic girl arrest video sparks mass outrage online

Modified Aug 11, 2023 09:14 GMT

West Yorkshire police arrest autistic girl (Image via Screengrab Kelly S/Twitter)

West Yorkshire police autistic girl arrest video uploaded to TikTok by her mother has triggered a massive backlash against the officers involved in the incident. The footage of the incident initially uploaded in TikTok has now made its way to multiple social media platforms, including X, formerly Twitter, sparking widespread outrage.

The clip of the incident, that occurred, on August 7, 2023, in England, showed the girl being detained by seven officers at her home in Leeds after the teenager said an officer looked like her grandmother, who is a lesbian.

According to the girl's mother, the unidentified officer misconstrued the statement made by the autistic girl and arrested her for a homophobic public order offense. In the video, the 16-year-old girl’s mother, Lisa Rozyck, can be heard telling the officer to stop staring at her autistic daughter, who appeared visibly distressed, crying and hitting herself, while the police attempted to grab her. In the clip, the mother is heard saying:

"It's not a homophobic remark, she said 'I think she's a lesbian, like my nana.” she added “You're going to remove her for what, you're bothered she said the word lesbian? Her nana is a lesbian, she's married to a woman. She's not homophobic."

The video has upset many social media users prompting one user to comment:

"Completely unfit for the job"

Netizens react as West Yorkshire police arrest autistic girl over perceived homophobic comments

West Yorkshire police autistic girl arrested video has infuriated several people, including government officials, who said that the department’s response was unacceptable.

In a statement to Pink News, Labour MP Kate Osborne, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Autism, said:

“I believe reports of homophobic abuse should be dealt with and taken seriously. However, the video footage leaves a lot of questions for the police to answer, were these officers trained in how to handle situations with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, why were there so many police involved and whether or not the way it was dealt with was excessive.”

Incidentally, the internet appeared to agree with Osborne’s assessment as several netizens slammed the police department's conduct.

West Yorkshire Police issues statement regarding autistic girl arrest

Meanwhile, detailing the incident, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, West Yorkshire Police said the incident occurred at 12.12 am on Monday, August 7, after officers received “calls from a family member of a 16-year-old girl who was reportedly intoxicated and putting herself at risk in Leeds city center”.

The department further stated that the officers drove the teenager home after responding to the call at 1 am. Shortly after returning the 16-year-old to her address, the teen reportedly made troubling remarks that led to her arrest.

The West Yorkshire police department added that the footage circulating on social media lacked context but noted that they are currently reviewing the complete circumstances of the events and added:

"West Yorkshire Police takes its responsibilities around the welfare of young people taken into custody and around neurodiversity very seriously. We also maintain that our officers and staff should not have to face abuse while working to keep our communities safe.”

Authorities said that after the arrest, the teenager was questioned in the presence of an adult and was subsequently released on bail.

Edited by Anushree Madappa