Musician Jason Allan. (Image: @imjasonallan/TikTok)
A touring street singer with more than one million TikTok followers has announced he will no longer busk in one of Britain’s most musical cities after he was attacked by a gang of youths while performing. Jason Allan, a musician from Shropshire who travels around the UK busking and playing small venues, was playing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in the centre of Leeds when the youths began messing about with his equipment.
A TikTok video he posted showing a confrontation with a group of young men reached 17 million views last week. One of the youths appears to be carrying a knife, and the incident has been reported to West Yorkshire Police. Jason was seemingly assaulted in the footage, filmed on a designated busking pitch outside the city’s Trinity Shopping Centre. The video shows the musician being approached by four or five young men, one of whom slaps him, then he squares up to him in response.
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Jason Allan defends himself after group ‘touches his stuff’
Jason said the incident came at a time when it is already becoming increasingly difficult to busk, with people having less money and not carrying cash.
He said: “I’ve been doing it for like 20 years. It’s got more difficult to be a busker. I have found other ways to make an income so that the busking isn’t my full-time income.”
After the incident, Jason made a fresh video saying his last busk in Leeds would be on Thursday, followed by a gig at Belgrave Music Hall on 5 July.
He added: “It was a couple of things that happened in a very short period of time, which just didn’t make me feel like the seven-hour round trip was becoming worth it any more for me.
“It’s not a decision that I made lightly, but I think sometimes you’ve just got to put your safety first.
These kinds of things can happen anywhere and everywhere. I wasn’t singling Leeds out as the worst place ever, I’ve had situations in Birmingham, in Liverpool, Glasgow, it’s not just Leeds, these things do happen all over the place.
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A singer with more than one million TikTok followers watched violence explode. (Image: @imjasonallan/TikTok)
“It was just the perfect storm of a couple of bad things happening, and the virality of the video meant the reason I was in Leeds got lost, and I wasn’t able to focus on the main thing, which was the music.”
Jason posted the video on his social media accounts with the question: “Was I right to defend myself?”
In the video, one hooded youth in a light blue body warmer appears to give the impression that he is carrying a weapon.
In the video’s on-screen captions, Jason wrote: “A gang of lads kept touching my guitar. So I thought I’d put them on camera to stop them doing it again.”
As one of the boys approaches again, Jason tells him: “You can touch if you want. I’ll go on the TikTok Live and show everyone what you’re doing.”
He then turns the camera to the group, who beat a hasty retreat once they realise they are being filmed.
As they slink off, Jason asks the group: “Why are you hiding your faces? Do you want to touch my stuff again or what?”
Jason filmed people fighting in Leeds (Image: @imjasonallan/TikTok)
Jason’s friend Brad then tips him off that one of the boys, wearing a jeans and a sleeveless pukka jacket that partially covers his face, is coming back.
The busker goes to intercept the intruder – but it was only when reviewing the footage afterwards that he realised that the boy appeared to be reaching for something potentially sinister.
As Jason writes in the caption: “It’s only upon watching this back do I realise he’s reaching for his pocket.
“Luckily, I was able to grab his arms.”
The boy then slaps Jason with what appears to be an open palm, before Jason wades in and clobbers the attacker, plus several of his friends who also try to defend their mate.
Several bystanders then step in to try and cool tensions.
Jason added: “People step in to break it up, which is good for me because there was about five of them.
“People think they can just abuse buskers and we won’t defend ourselves.”
The boy in the puffer jacket then aims a kick at Jason, who catches his foot and pulls him to the ground.
He then goes back to the mic and tells shoppers: “I’m just trying to make a living, man. Do you know what I mean?”
Jason also uploaded a second video – shot on the same day – titled “What Is Going on in Leeds”. Captioning it as the moment he stopped busking it shows two groups of men fighting in the city centre. Jason claims the youths have weapons as says that’s why he’s not stepping in. He says: “I’m not losing my life for this poo it’s insane.”
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said they had not received any formal complaint of an alleged offence from Mr Allan.
Jason can be found across social media at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imjasonallan?igsh=eDRpMmVmN3VqZWFu&utm_source=qr
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imjasonallan?_t=ZN-8xTQDPmabZ8&_r=1
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Uq2u0k0Q3XJUIGrXtGLlz?si=W4alMd_fTKCQo50FRVhXBg