PSNI request support from UK colleagues to deal with Ballymena violence
It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged.
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Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
More arrests after third night of unrest in Northern Ireland town
By Peter Murphy and Clara Lalanne Riot police were pelted with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks and nine officers were wounded in the third night of unrest in Northern Ireland, police said on Thursday amid simmering anti-immigrant anger. The three days of clashes in Ballymena erupted on Monday night after two teenagers were arrested for an alleged attempted rape of a young girl at the weekend. Police have not confirmed the ethnicity of the teenagers, who remain in custody and had asked for a Romanian interpreter in court. The crowds eventually dispersed late Wednesday without a repeat of the chaotic scenes seen on Monday and Tuesday when houses and businesses were torched and 32 police officers were injured. But in Larne, around 32 kilometers away, local media reported that masked men on Wednesday torched a leisure centre that was temporarily sheltering people from Ballymena who had been evacuated from their homes. Police condemned Wednesday night's violence, which included a hatchet being thrown at officers, calling it "completely unacceptable disorder". Six more people were arrested, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. "As a result of a significant policing operation calm was restored to all areas at around 1 a.m. this morning," the force added. Three teenage boys aged 15, 17 and 18 were due to appear in court on Thursday having been charged with rioting, according to police. A total of 41 officers have now been hurt in the three nights of unrest, the PSNI said, though most of the injuries were not severe. Ministers from every party in the province's power-sharing executive strongly condemned "the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days", while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the "mindless violence". The UK's Northern Ireland minister Hilary Benn, who visited Ballymena on Thursday, said he "utterly condemned the terrible scenes of civil disorder". Police called the violence "racist thuggery", deployed riot officers with dogs and asked forces in England and Wales for help quelling the unrest. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said Thursday that "this criminal behavior has no place on the streets of Northern Ireland and is completely unacceptable". On the fire in Larne, police said: "Shockingly, people were inside the building at the time of this fire -– thankfully no injuries were reported." Ballymena residents have described "terrifying" scenes in which attackers had targeted "foreigners" over the previous days. Some people fixed signs to their houses indicating they were Filipino residents, or hung up British flags. Political commentator Alex Kane, a former Ulster Unionist Party communications chief, told AFP "most of those involved in the rioting... were from the working-class loyalist community" who support Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK. "This is a demographic which feels left behind" by various political and social forces, he added. "An unsettled community, particularly when it is mostly composed of the young, is often quick to anger and easy to mobilize on the street. It's a problem which won't disappear any time soon," he warned. While acknowledging the protests were a "bit extreme", college student Lee Stewart described them as necessary "to defend our own people". "We view it as the police aren't doing anything to stop what is going on to those poor wee girls," Stewart, 18, said. © 2025 AFP
Saba Yemen
2 hours ago
- Saba Yemen
500 Romanian Cultural, Artistic Figures Demand End to Genocide in Gaza
Bucharest - (Saba): More than 500 Romanian cultural and artistic figures have signed a joint petition addressed to the Romanian authorities, calling for a firm stance against the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and an end to the "genocide" being perpetrated against the Palestinians. According to what was reported by the Palestinian News Agency on Thursday, the petition was addressed to both Romanian President Nicosor Dan and the Romanian government, calling for pressure on the Israeli government to halt the aggression and prevent settlement expansion in the West Bank and Quds. The signatories emphasized that Romania must link its trade, cultural, and diplomatic relations with Israel to respect for international law, calling for cooperation with the European Union to impose sanctions and suspend the Association Agreement if Israeli violations continue. Intellectuals and artists expressed their strong condemnation of the genocide taking place in the Gaza Strip and of Israeli policies of domination and control. They emphasized the need to take an official stance expressing support for the rights of the Palestinian people. The petition emphasized the importance of popular solidarity with the people of Gaza and highlighted the particular suffering experienced by artists, teachers, directors, journalists, and writers under the Israeli blockade, which has led to a lack of basic services such as food, healthcare, and drinking water. It warned that life in Gaza has become "almost impossible." Since October 7, 2023, the enemy has been waging a genocidal campaign in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt the campaign. Whatsapp Telegram Email more of (International)
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
How a Northern Irish town descended into 3 days of anti-immigrant violence
Social Sharing Protests in the small Northern Irish town of Ballymena spiralled into acts of anti-immigrant violence this week after two teenagers who spoke Romanian were charged with sexually assaulting a local girl. For three nights, masked rioters burned homes and vehicles in what Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, called"racist thuggery, pure and simple," leading to multiple arrests and dozens of injuries. The violence follows the arrest of two 14-year-old boys accused of the attempted rape of a teenage girl. Both of the accused made a court appearance on Monday, where they spoke through a Romanian interpreter. (Police announced a third arrest related to the case Tuesday.) The incident sparked the simmering anti-immigrant sentiment in Ballymena, where nearly 5,000 of the 31,000 residents were born outside of Britain, Ireland or Northern Ireland, according to census data. In Northern Ireland's overall population, ethnic or racialized groups make up just 3.4 per cent of Northern Ireland's overall population, compared to Ballymena's 16 per cent. More than 30 officers were injured after being attacked with firebombs and bricks over three nights, and a dozen people in and around Ballymena have been arrested so far. The riots have had a significant effect on immigrants to the town. "I have to save my children," said one Bulgarian woman, adding she has lived in Ballymena for nearly 10 years. But after her family home was targeted by rioters, the family plans to leave. How it unfolded The rampage has played out on social media, across hundreds of tweets, videos and images cataloguing the days of rioting. CBC's visual investigations team has collected and verified footage to show how this small town descended into violence. On Sunday, a day after the alleged rape, a Facebook post circulated in the local community, telling people to gather at a local spot known as Ken's car park at 7:30 p.m. Monday local time to "show their anger." A peaceful vigil began on Monday night in support of the alleged victim, with Ballymena Deputy Mayor Tyler Hoey expressing support for the demonstrators. But the event quickly devolved, with hundreds swarming the streets, reportedly targeting the homes and businesses connected to foreigners. Before sunset, which would be some time before 10 p.m., barricades are set ablaze near a church, with police nearby. Soon after, masked people can be seen smashing windows of homes near the church, which can be seen in the first video in the below tweet, which reflects the inflammatory rhetoric fuelling the riots. It all took place within a few blocks of the small town. The riots continued for a second night on Tuesday. Clashes between protesters and police begin in the evening, with water cannons in use and small burning barricades destroyed by police vehicles. One car is lit on fire near the parking lot where the protests first began, while another is flipped over and burned out. Later, multiple homes are set on fire. In one video, people appear to be attempting to break down the door of a neighbouring house, while people in black masks mill around. On Wednesday, the Union Jack could be seen in the windows of several homes, while a handwritten sign in one boarded-up window read "British household," all presumably in an effort to ward off looters. Riots continued in the evening. A video posted on that day shows a man firing what appears to be a firework at a line of police vehicles. Police then use water cannons on the rioters. A man is set on fire in a video posted on Wednesday; it's unclear from what. It's unclear whether the violence will spread. On Wednesday night, masked rioters set fire to a leisure centre in nearby Larne that was hosting families fleeing the rioting in Ballymena. The events in Northern Ireland echo the violent 2024 anti-immigration riots that spread across the U.K. and led to hundreds of arrests. Those riots began in Southport, England, following the fatal stabbing of three girls that was falsely claimed to have been carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker, when in fact the perpetrator was born in Wales. "While all of our citizens have the right to engage in peaceful protest, there can never be any justification for the violence that has taken place in recent days," ministers representing every political party in Northern Ireland said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
