A man has been arrested on suspicion of the theft of the blue plaque in Leeds that was recently placed on display to commemorate the life and legacy of David Oluwale.
The blue plaque has been missing since Monday 25 April, just hours after its unveiling.
"A man has been arrested this morning on suspicion of the theft of the blue plaque commemorating the life and legacy of David Oluwale.
"The man, aged in his thirties, was arrested at an address in Leeds at 8am this morning on suspicion of the theft of the plaque, which was taken from Leeds Bridge on Monday, April 25.
"He remains in custody and enquiries are ongoing.
"We are aware that an earlier arrest has been highlighted over the weekend and can confirm that another man was arrested on April 28 on suspicion of the theft of the plaque following information received. He was later released under investigation.
"A further suspect was also identified on April 28, and arrest enquiries for him remain ongoing."
Whilst the plaque itself may still no longer be up in Leeds, the city has come together to spread a message of love for the plaque in a unique way and sharing images of the plaque across the city across billboards and screens.
Cllrs Pryor, Walshaw & Garthwaite shared the message, stating: "It’s been inspiring to see Leeds uniting against hate and racism. You can take down a plaque, but you can’t silence the message!"
After his death, David Oluwale became the first successful prosecution of British police officers for involvement in the death of a black person, according to BBC reports. This historic moment has been commemorated so far through a string of moving books and plays, but Leeds City Council now want to add a bridge in his name to remember the importance of his legacy.
Sadly, David Oluwale was said to have drowned the River Aire in 1969 and was said to have been tragically targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race.
According to the charity, Remember Oluwale “From 1953 to 1969 he endured mental ill-health, homelessness, racism, destitution and police persecution, culminating in what we believe to be his drowning on 18th April 1969 in the River Aire, near Leeds Bridge, at the hands of two policemen.”
They believe it’s important to remember Oluwale because: “From 1953 onwards, the institutions of Leeds systematically failed David Oluwale. In the 1960s, as he slept rough and moved from prison to hospital and back again, and particularly when his brutalisation by two Leeds policemen was exposed, Leeds was being formed as a city marked by racism and abuse of the vulnerable. David’s story is emblematic of this urban abjection. We need to understand this period if we are to re-form the city.”
After closing for the entire second day, The Warehouse stage at Leeds Festival has once again been forced to evacuate.
One of the most anticipated dance acts of the day has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns just moments before the set.
Sheffield DJ Silva Bumpa was due to take to The Warehouse stage today at 1:30pm, but the set was cancelled due to overcrowding.
It's not the first time this has happened at Leeds Festival 2026, as yesterday Omar+'s set was cancelled due to the same issue and the stage was subsequently closed for the rest of the day.
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Silva Bumpa said: "So so sorry Leeds Fest but due to over crowding my set was cancelled last min I was just behind the stage and got told right before such a massive shame."
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading on Friday afternoon, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
If yesterday is anything to go by, we wouldn't be surprised if The Warehouse was closed for the rest of the day which means anticipated sets from Rossi and Mall Grab will also be cancelled.
‘Actually lost for words’ – huge artist speaks out as Leeds Festival set is cancelled due to overcrowding
Clementine Hall
For the second day in a row, a huge set has been cancelled due to overcrowding at Reading and Leeds Festival.
Day two of the festival and there's some pretty disappointed ravers hanging their head as one of the biggest dance music sets of the day is cancelled.
Omar+, a rising British electronic DJ and producer, was due to play on the brand-new Warehouse stage at Reading yesterday and Leeds today.
Yesterday's set was cancelled last minute due to overcrowding, and low and behold the same has happened here in Leeds.
Announcing the sad news to his story, Omar+ said "Actually lost for words. My Leeds set has been cancelled due to overcrowding."
He then went on to show a screenshot of a text message, reading: "I've never seen something like this in my entire life where two shows back to back are cancelled due to overcrowding."
The Warehouse stage is completely new for this year, and supposedly is designed specifically for dance music...which is quite ironic.
Prospa, another prominent DJ who's set was cancelled at Reading yesterday, spoke up on the situation: "We are disappointed in The Warehouse stage closure at Reading Festival. We were told it wasn't possible to play whilst on the way. This was due to too many people outside the stage.
"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK. It's time to double the capacity of tents or put dance music on the main stage."
It comes after another dance stage, LS23, was closed mid-set last night due to a health and safety hazard when all the lights suddenly switched off and ravers were forced to evacuate.
Sophie Smith -
9th May 2022 
