Fireworks and petrol bombs thrown at police in horror attack on streets of Scotland as riot officers called in

Police were left injured after 100 youths threw petrol bombs and fireworks at riot officers

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Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 06/11/2023

- 07:46

Updated: 06/11/2023

- 10:19

Streets in Edinburgh were locked down as officers were hit with lit missiles

Police were left injured after 100 youths threw petrol bombs and fireworks at riot officers during Bonfire Night chaos in Edinburgh.

Streets were locked down in Niddrie as officers in riot gear stood in a line after being called to the area as part of a Specialist Public Order response.


It follows last year's "warzone" Bonfire Night when youths launched fireworks at members of the public and vehicles.

Police Scotland confirmed a number of officers have suffered minor injuries during the havoc.

Police Scotland confirmed a number of officers have suffered minor injuries during the havoc

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Gangs of youngsters began targeting vehicles and houses in the area with fireworks at around 4pm yesterday before turning their attention to police as officers arrived on scene.

The main road which runs through Niddrie was closed in order to divert buses and cars away from the area.

One local resident said the noise of the fireworks was “terrifying.”

“This happens every year up here. The kids just do what they like and nothing happens," the woman told The Sun.

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“It all started about 6.30pm when they all started meeting up. I saw some of them had fireworks and I just knew it was going to be trouble. It didn’t take long before fireworks were being launched at houses and at local residents.

“The noise of the fireworks was terrifying. I have young kids and they were petrified. When the police arrived they became the target of the kids. I could see the officers were all dressed up in heavy duty gear and some of them were carrying shields.

“More needs to be done to stop this happening again. It’s not fair on people who live here to have to put up with this.”

In 2018, Police Scotland set up Operation Moonbeam to tackle Bonfire Night disorder.

Drone footage shows police officers in riot gear stood in a line

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Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: “Our Operation Moonbeam deployments are currently supporting local policing teams across the country as they respond to various fireworks-related offences.

“We can confirm that a small number of officers have sustained minor injuries during their attendance at incidents in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“This is entirely unacceptable and absolutely not simply part of the job of a police officer.

"We are treating these attacks with the utmost seriousness to bring those responsible to justice.”

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