Ireland Burns: Mob Hits Police, Homes Set Ablaze for 2nd Straight Night Over Sexual Assault Outrage
Northern Ireland police, on June 10, arrested five people on suspicion of riotous behaviour. The fresh arrests were made after a second night of disorder in the Irish town of Ballymena. Rioters threw petrol bombs & other projectiles at the police in the Northern Irish town. Watch for more.
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Ballymena riots: Fires rage as protests over alleged assault fuel anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland
More than 30 police officers have been injured in Northern Ireland after two nights of violent rioting in Ballymena, triggered by the court appearance of two 14-year-old boys charged with the attempted sexual assault of a teenage girl. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The unrest, which police described as 'hate-fuelled acts and mob rule,' has targeted homes, businesses and vehicles prompting fears of further escalation across the region. The violence began Monday, shortly after the accused teens appeared in court and denied the charges through a Romanian interpreter. The case has inflamed anti-immigrant sentiments in the town of about 31,000 people, amplified by far-right social media accounts that celebrated the riots and shared live footage. By Tuesday night, police in Ballymena came under 'sustained attack' from rioters using petrol bombs, bricks, and fireworks. Seventeen officers were injured that night alone, while by Wednesday, the total number of injured officers had risen to 32. A pregnant woman had to be evacuated from a burning home, local politician Sian Mulholland told BBC's Good Morning Ulster. 'People are waking up today feeling genuine fear for their lives and their livelihoods,' said Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). 'We have seen a number of calls over social media for protest activity this evening... It can be difficult to assess how much and where that will be.' Clonavon Terrace, the epicentre of the unrest, was quiet by Wednesday afternoon, but its charred remains spoke volumes: smashed windows, burned-out furniture, and flags on homes identifying the nationalities of those inside. One sign read, 'British household,' a symbol of fear within immigrant communities trying to avoid becoming targets. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police have declared the attacks on four homes, believed to be racially motivated, as hate crimes. 'When I watch families having their doors kicked in who happen to be from our diverse communities, I have to call that out for the racist behaviour that it is,' Henderson said. The riots quickly spread beyond Ballymena. Protesters blocked roads and clashed with police in Belfast, Newtownabbey, and Carrickfergus. In response, officers in riot gear deployed water cannon and fired non-lethal rounds known as attenuated energy projectiles. Cars were set alight, bins torched, and masonry hurled at officers. Police are now requesting reinforcements from mainland Britain to cope with the unrest. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill called the attacks 'abhorrent,' adding, 'No one, now or ever, should feel the need to place a sticker on their door to identify their ethnicity just to avoid being targeted.' The British and Irish governments also condemned the violence. 'This appalling violence and vandalism must cease immediately,' said UK Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn, warning that those responsible would face justice.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Ireland Burns: Mob Hits Police, Homes Set Ablaze for 2nd Straight Night Over Sexual Assault Outrage
Northern Ireland police, on June 10, arrested five people on suspicion of riotous behaviour. The fresh arrests were made after a second night of disorder in the Irish town of Ballymena. Rioters threw petrol bombs & other projectiles at the police in the Northern Irish town. Watch for more.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
What is happening in Northern Ireland? Violence continues for second day; cops call it ‘racist thuggery'
Hundreds of masked rioters clashed with police and committed arson, targeting several properties in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena on Tuesday in the second successive night of violence following a protest over an alleged sexual abuse. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There have been heavy police deployments in several areas of the town, some 45km away from the capital, Belfast. Police said they are dealing with severe unrest and urged people to avoid the area. Officers responded with water cannons and plastic baton rounds after being attacked with petrol bombs, masonry and rocks, to disperse the crowd, reported AFP Fifteen police officers were injured on Monday, with some requiring hospital treatment. According to local media reports, as the night progressed, the crowd began to disperse, with some groups still milling around the town centre. Also, some protesters were reportedly blocking the roads to Belfast. Ireland Riots: Immigrant Homes Torched, 15 Cops Thrashed In Ballymena 'Racist Attack' | Watch Violence first flared earlier on Monday when two boys accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in county Antrim Town were produced in court. Several cars were torched, with one found overturned and engulfed in flames, as police sirens echoed through the town. The initial wave of unrest saw four homes damaged by fire, while windows and doors were shattered in nearby residences and businesses, acts authorities are treating as racially motivated hate crimes. "This violence was clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police," assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson said on Tuesday, in a press conference. He added, "It was racist thuggery, pure and simple, and any attempt to justify it or explain it as something else is misplaced." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Last night it was crazy because too many people came here and tried to put the house on fire," Albu, who works in a factory, told AFP. "People were going after foreigners, whoever they were, or how innocent they were," the woman, who did not want to share her name for security reasons. "But there were local people indoors down the street, scared as hell." The British government and local politicians condemned the violence. 'The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland,' Britain's Northern Ireland minister Hilary Been wrote on X.
