In July 1990, a warehouse party in Leeds descended into a riot, resulting in one of the UK's largest mass arrests. The Love Decade event, held at an old Sony warehouse in Gildersome, saw 836 people detained after a three-hour standoff with police. Attendees recall a dark, intense atmosphere as police helicopters circled and doors were locked, trapping ravers inside.
DJ Rob Tissera, who was performing at the time, admitted to inciting the crowd over the microphone, saying: 'If you want to keep the party going, we're gonna have to fight the bastards.' This led to a violent confrontation, with ravers throwing objects and moving a van against shutters to block police entry. Officers eventually used a forklift truck to breach the building.
The event occurred amid a police crackdown on rave culture following the 1988 'second summer of love'. Organisers had chosen the location due to heavy policing in Blackburn. An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people were outside, but police roadblocks prevented entry. After hours of tension, police entered and arrested everyone inside.
Most attendees received cautions, but Tissera was sentenced to three months in prison for inciting a riot and abstracting electricity. He believes he was made an example of under the new Entertainment (Increased Penalties) Act 1990, which allowed jail terms for unlicensed event organisers. The judge's verdict was unexpected, and Tissera described it as life-changing.
Attendee Jane Winterbottom described the scene as 'sheer terror', claiming a female friend was knocked unconscious by a police truncheon. West Yorkshire Police did not comment. The Love Decade riot remains a pivotal moment in UK dance music history, marking the end of an era of illegal raves.
