First Minister condemns Ballymena rioting as ‘pure racism – there's no other way to dress it up'
The disorder followed an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend.
Two 14 year old boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, were arrested and have since been charged in relation to the allegations.
First Minister Michelle O'Neill said that it's important to remember that violence against women in Northern Ireland and the recent violence in Ballymena are separate issues.
'We know there's a general societal problem here in terms of violence against women and girls.
'And it's male violence against women and girls. So we have to call it out and we have to work with our young boys about educating them as well, which is why a lot of the work we've done around campaigns like Power to Change, don't be a bystander whenever you see misogyny or you see attacks on young women.
'What I want is to separate out two things here.
'One is an attack on a young woman that needs to be investigated and fully dealt with in the criminal justice system.
'Separate to that is an issue of racism that we have now developed. And I would say, orchestrated by some of those people like Tommy Robinson to this point, orchestrating and trying to whip up fears and tensions, let's not allow that to take hold in our society,' she said.
Ms O'Neill condemned the violent demonstrations as "pure racism – there's no other way to dress it up'.
"We can't dress this up, this is racism in Ballymena, and we have to say that this is not tolerated in this society".
"It's wrong – we have to say that it's wrong and all political leaders need to join together in calling for calm."
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the violence in Ballymena is "serving no purpose whatsoever, but risks criminal convictions of young people".
Ms Pengelly added that the family of the victim of the alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been "very clear" that they did not want violence to follow a peaceful demonstration held on Monday night to support them.
"At the heart of this initial protest was a victim, a young girl,' she said.
"But then of course that [demonstration] turned into something very, very different. The family have been clear, they don't want that violence."
Ms O'Neill said the Executive was united in its condemnation of the attacks.
News Catch Up - Wednesday 11th June 2025
'I think it is important that political leaders are very clear in terms of the language that they use and the words that they use so that they don't inflate issues.
'The racism that we see being carried out over the last few nights in Ballymena is wrong, we have to say that it is wrong.
'That's why it was important that all of the Executive parties have come together to say that what's happening needs to stop. We will continue to provide that political leadership, work with communities, we want to engage with the PSNI, and continue to work with them in terms of the response.'
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5 hours ago
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Blame game breaks out over Northern Ireland riots
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Metro
6 hours ago
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The Ballymena riots are nothing to do with protecting women
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Like that unrest, the violence has been targeted, and terrifying, not least for someone like me, a visibly Muslim woman living in the UK. Attacks have been aimed at businesses and households thought to belong to 'foreign' people, anti-immigration slogans have been chanted in the street, and rioters have even live-streamed burning someone's house. The situation is so bad that families in Northern Ireland have resorted to putting up signs clarifying their identity to avoid being considered 'foreign'. It goes without saying that we should all be outraged by the alleged attempted rape of a teenage girl, no matter who is accused of perpetrating the act. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But like last year, I'm forced to ask – is this really about the alleged victim at all? Why is it that these masked mobs only seem to care about protecting women and girls from violence and sexual assault when it's someone who isn't White British accused of the crime? There was no sign of these rioters when, for example, one of Northern Ireland's most prominent politicians, former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, was charged with 18 sexual offences including one of rape, all of which he denies. Defenders of these racist riots might argue that immigration is the root of this problem but are we really going to pretend that migrant men are uniquely responsible for the epidemic of violence against women in a way that white British people aren't? The last time I checked, our national institutions – from parliament to the police force – were riddled with instances of misogyny. Besides, if immigration was to blame then how do you explain sexual abuses of power conducted by wealthy white men in suits? Are we going to ban suits because some men who wear them abuse women? 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Just like with the horrific murder of three little girls in Stockport last year, the unconscionable act simply became a way for people to fuel a violent anti-immigration agenda. Meanwhile the plight of the victims and their families was overshadowed. Senseless violence and mass disorder doesn't protect women. It renders entire communities unsafe and ironically it is women and children who bear the brunt of this. There have been stories of migrant mothers fleeing Northern Ireland with their children in recent days because they are so frightened of being visibly foreign amidst such aggression and hostility. Parts of Britain descending into racist chaos every time a non-white person commits or is accused of a crime destroys the fabric of what sort of country Britain claims to be: One of tolerance and inclusion. These far-right rioters positioning themselves as the great defenders of British women and girls actually do the opposite. 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7 hours ago
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