Ballymena riots: Families flee 'locals' venting their feelings
Here we go again.
It was not long after 8pm when a police announcement over a tannoy mounted on their armoured vehicles reverberated around for all to hear.
"Force is about to be used against violent individuals," blasted from the speakers as locals, some masked, stood waiting for action.
"You better be filming this," one man said as we captured the scenes for Sky News amid a growing sense from locals that the police were being heavy handed in their tactics.
And then officers, holding their shields, surged forward as people edged back.
The move seemed to further anger the residents who had gathered, almost goading them as tensions ran high.
The pace of clashes was slower on this, the third night of conflict. But it was nevertheless just as ugly and messy.
Eyewitness: It is hard to see where the violence will end
Soon came the baton rounds, the firebombs, the water cannon. Those pelting the police seemed unfazed as they were battered with plastic bullets in return. The watching crowd cheered the rioters on.
Police chiefs earlier defended their operation. A senior officer insisted he did have "a grip" on the unravelling situation when questioned by Sky News.
The increased presence of officers was felt on the ground and was clear to see. The soundtrack of sirens swirled around this town once again as police lurched from incident to incident as pockets of violence flared up.
Officers are on their way from Scotland, England and Wales to help bolster resources. And they won't be short of work.
A leisure centre 25 minutes away in Larne came under attack on Wednesday evening after it emerged some of the foreign families fleeing the Ballymena chaos were being temporarily held there.
A short drive around Ballymena's one way road system takes you on a journey through housing estates where people have flooded the streets with union jack flags and stuck yellow A4 sheets to their windows with the words, "LOCALS LIVE HERE".
These colourful displays are being seen as a public noticeboard of the nationality of the occupants inside each home. A deterrent to make the angry mob to look elsewhere.
And those failing to advertise whether they are a 'native' or not seem to be paying a price.
I witnessed an upper floor flat with a window smashed, the guttering on fire and the ground outside ablaze. An older neighbour fled her home downstairs in her dressing gown.
Earlier in the day two Romanian women were frantically examining their phones down an alleyway as their kids played on the trampoline in the garden.
They were terrified and were bundling their belongings in the car and leaving for good.
A sizeable chunk of people born in Ballymena are angry. They do not like the talk from police and politicians that taking to the streets following an alleged sex attack on a teenage girl equates to them being "racist thugs".
They see this as an act of venting their feelings. And they are hellbent on continuing this campaign of carnage across Northern Ireland to ensure they prove their point.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
17 minutes ago
- Sky News
MPs to vote again on Assisted Dying Bill - will it pass and what has changed?
Why you can trust Sky News A monumental decision for MPs that has been looming on the horizon is now approaching at speed. The Assisted Dying Bill, which would give some terminally ill adults the right to end their lives, is back in the Commons for votes on amendments, with the final vote likely to come next week. There are not many issues like this - literally a matter of life and death - that require MPs to search their consciences and make a personal decision with profound and irreversible consequences. When the Commons first voted on the legislation back in November it passed with a 55 majority. That may seem reasonably comfortable but delving into the numbers reveals that it is flimsier than it first appears. Firstly, it would take just 28 MPs to switch from for to against to bring the bill down. And some of that initial support is quite soft with a significant number voting in favour simply to move the bill to the next stage, have the debate, raise the profile of the issue and make progress on the detail. Now that the final vote is drawing near, they may decide it's gone far enough. There are also the abstainers who could go either way if they do choose to vote at third reading. All this makes the outcome unpredictable, but Sky News has been speaking to MPs to get a sense of where the parliamentary arithmetic is headed. Ahead of the latest round of votes, 20 have confirmed to Sky that their position has changed and although there is movement in both directions it shows that the momentum is mostly one way. Taking this snapshot of MPs, the first time round nine voted for, nine abstained and three voted against. Based on how they say they will vote at the third reading, the numbers are very different - with just four in favour, one abstaining and 15 against. Among those are two ministers, Sir Chris Bryant and Ellie Reeves who are swimming against the tide by declaring that they will now vote in favour. Sir Chris told Sky News: "I abstained on the first time round, I decided I wasn't going to vote because I wanted to hear the debate. I have listened to a lot of the debate… "I also have heard the cries of people who are absolutely miserable, and that's why I will be voting for the bill." Of the many more MPs who have withdrawn their support, Conservative George Freeman is one of a handful who have spoken out. He told Sky: "I want to see a law change, I think Kim [Leadbeater]'s done us a favour… "I think government needs to come back with a properly thought through, properly consulted on, possibly by royal commission. This is a big change, so I want to see law change, but I'm no longer going to vote for this bill." And skewing our figures slightly is Labour MP Emma Hardy, who voted both for and against at second reading but has now settled on against. Just that small number of switchers would still see the legislation over the line, but with a reduced majority of 38, and many believe the vote will be much closer. The main issues that are concerning undecided MPs are, firstly, protecting patients from being forced or coerced into ending their own lives. At the beginning of the parliamentary process it was suggested that a high court judge would sign off every assisted death. That has now been changed to a panel of experts, and some MPs are worried that this represents a watering down of safeguards. Kim Leadbeater, who is behind the law change, says this will actually make it safer. Others point to the way the legislation has been brought to parliament, as a private member's bill, which some argue reduces its robustness. They would like to see it return with the full weight of government behind it. And finally, changes to the timeline have raised a lot of eyebrows with the maximum implementation period extended to four has raised concerns that the bill could be passed in this parliament but not delivered, and would become a divisive issue at the next general election. Despite all this there is still a huge amount of support and all eyes will be on the House of Commons as more debate and votes on amendments get underway, giving us the best sense yet of whether this once in a generation legislation still has a chance.
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two men to be sentenced over £4.75 million gold toilet heist
Two men will be sentenced over the theft of a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. The fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, which had been installed as an artwork at the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born, was stolen in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019. The distinctive toilet, the star attraction in an exhibition at the property, is believed to have been broken up and disposed of after it was taken. Jurors at Oxford Crown Court found Michael Jones, 39, guilty of burglary after a trial. James Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had already admitted burglary at the same court. He also pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Sheen is serving a 17-year sentence for a string of thefts, including £400,000 worth of tractors and high-value trophies from the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket. Jones, from Oxford, visited the palace twice before the theft, but denied these were reconnaissance trips. He told jurors he 'took advantage of' the gold toilet's 'facilities' while at the country house the day before it was taken. Asked what it was like, Jones said: 'Splendid.' Jones had worked as a roofer and builder for Sheen from about 2018 and was effectively Sheen's 'right-hand man', being trusted to arrange payments for his friend's other employees. He was arrested on October 16 2019 and police analysed his phone. He had been searching for newspaper reports about the stolen toilet on September 20, the trial heard. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. The 'foolish' middleman walked free from court last month after being given a suspended sentence for his part in the heist. Doe helped Sheen sell some of the gold in the following weeks, the court heard. Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, was cleared of the same charge.
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man to be sentenced for attacking officers with hatchet outside police station
A man with a grudge against authority, who attacked officers outside a South Wales police station armed with a Molotov cocktail, a knife and a hatchet, will be sentenced on Friday. Alexander Dighton, 28, attacked three police officers at Talbot Green police station in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, on January 31, stabbing one in the leg and knocking another unconscious. He previously pleaded guilty to 10 charges relating to the incident at a hearing before the Old Bailey in March. Dighton, of Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, arrived at the police station shortly before 7pm, where he lit a petrol bomb and threw it at a police van. When that failed to ignite, he attempted to start a fire by pouring lighter fluid over the van before smashing the windows of two vehicles using a pole. When confronted by officers, Dighton said: 'I'm fed up, I'm done,' before launching his attack. Attempts to restrain him using a Taser were unsuccessful because of the body armour he was wearing. He swung a pole at one officer, punched one in the head and stabbed another in the thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. Two of the three injured officers were taken to hospital for treatment. On being arrested, Dighton said: 'I have been damned from birth.' He went on to admit his actions, saying he was motivated by an anti-government ideology but denied intending to kill a police officer. The defendant declined legal representation, despite being told the maximum sentence for some of the charges was life in prison. He told Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb: 'Authority is not my problem. It's the use of authority which to me is the problem, the use of authority I have seen since I was 15, that's my problem.' The senior judge asked him again if he would like to delay the case so he could take legal advice. The defendant replied: 'That will be all right, thank you. I perfectly understand it.' He admitted the attempted murder of Detective Constable Jack Cotton, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Sergeant Richard Coleman, assaulting Pc Joshua Emlyn and threatening Pc Stephanie Fleming with an adapted wooden pole. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted arson of a police van, two counts of damaging police property and having an adapted wooden pole, a knife and a hatchet. Dighton was remanded into custody.
