Ballymena: Seventeen police officers injured during second night of violence

Protesters threw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police during another night of disorder in Ballymena on Tuesday.

Five people were arrested and a further 17 officers were injured overnight, bringing the total to 32.

Officers fired baton rounds and used a water cannon to disperse protesters as cars were set on fire and the windows of several houses were smashed.

The disorder began on Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the County Antrim town.

The first protest was organised hours after two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court .

They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges.

Crowds gathered in the Clonavon Terrace area for a second night of violent disorder, which has been described by police as “racist thuggery”.

Riot officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had been deployed to Ballymena.

Police said they also dealt with sporadic incidents of disorder in Newtownabbey, where a man was arrested, and Carrickfergus in County Antrim and north Belfast.

One man, 29, has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police after Monday’s violence.

Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the disorder was “abhorrent” and called for it to stop immediately.

“Those responsible for this violence bring nothing to our communities but hatred, fear and division,” she added.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the violence endangered lives and risked the ongoing criminal justice process.

He said the PSNI would pursue those responsible and images would be released to identify offenders.

“To those who have been threatened or affected by this violence: we are with you,” he added.

He said the PSNI was “critically underfunded” and would be “making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources”.

“Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate – they are dangerous,” he said.

Speaking to the Nolan Show, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the violence was “sporadic” and there was no evidence of paramilitary involvement.

Some homes have begun displaying stickers outlining the residents’ nationalities. Signs which read “British household” and “Filipino lives here” could be seen on some doors.

Alliance Party assembly member Sian Mulholland told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that there was a heavily pregnant woman in one of the houses set on fire.

“We were able to direct the police to remove that family and get them out of the area to safety, to the police station,” she said.

Mulholland said there was “widespread livestreaming on social media of the violence – directing people where to go, how to get around the police barricades”.

A clean-up operation is under way, with debris and burning items being cleared from the roads. Scorch marks and melted bins can be seen on the streets.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Paul Frew told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he feared someone would be killed in the disorder.

Frew said it was “drowning out the strong and sincere sympathies for victims of sexual violence”.

He said tensions had been rising for some time in Ballymena and and people were “frightened about illegal immigration”.

Police have urged anyone involved in the unrest “to reflect long and hard about their actions”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman on Tuesday described the events in Ballymena as “very concerning”.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said there was “no justification” for the rioting.

The MP for North Antrim, Jim Allister, posted on social media: “Tonight’s further senseless violence in Ballymena is helping no cause, just destroying our own town and getting young men criminal records. Stop it.”

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