Instant karma! Shocking moment Ballymena rioter sets HIMSELF on fire with petrol bomb as police vow more arrests and consider bringing in fresh troops from England and Wales after second night of rioting
This is the shocking moment a protester on the streets of Ballymena was set alight as chaos continued to rip through Northern Ireland for a second night in a row.
Footage shows one protestor up in flames as rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers - who condemned the 'racist thuggery' of rioters.
Cars and properties were also set on fire after violence erupted in the Northern Irish town on Monday night following a peaceful vigil of 2,500 people that descended into mayhem.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as they desperately fought to bring the crowds to order.
It comes after two 14-year-old boys - who both required a Romanian interpreter in court - were charged with the attempted oral rape of a teenage girl on June 7.
A third arrest was made in relation to the sexual assault on Monday night as a 28-year-old man was taken in for questioning and then released.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the 'racially motivated disorder.
Mr Henderson added there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community.
Police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI, the senior police officer added.
In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday.
The force said there had also been 'sporadic disorder' in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast.
Violent disorder erupted on Monday night around Clonavon Terrace in the town, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
A crowd of 300 yobs hurled petrol bombs at cops, smashed windows and torched cars throughout the Harryville area - the day after the peaceful vigil turned violent.
The PSNI confirmed a number of homes and businesses were attacked as the mob rampaged across the town, while disorder also sparked in Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and north Belfast.
As horror spread across Ballymena last night masked thugs threw bottles, wood, rocks, metal bars, wheelie bins, and even a child's bike.
In shocking scenes fireworks were aimed at police lines, receiving a large cheer from the crowd of protesters.
Litter and debris were seen strewn across the roads and pavements, while smashed glass covered the town's streets.
Families in the area told reporters they were fleeing their homes while some residents marked their doors with their nationality in an apparent bid to avoid attack.
Vehicles parked on the road were smashed up with hammers, while rioters bust their tyres and tipped them upside down.
Officers from the PSNI ran through the town accompanied by police dogs, dodging flying objects and debris from the blazes.
Armoured Land Rovers tried to protect homes while police detained individuals and forced hundreds of people away from properties.
Officers used a loudspeaker to make a repeat warning to 'disperse as force is about to be used against violent individuals'.
Baton rounds - a less lethal alternative to traditional bullets - were fired on protesters, the PSNI later revealed.
In a statement early this morning, when the rioting had finally been quelled at 1am, the force said: 'Calm has been restored in Ballymena following serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas last night.
'Disorder broke out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at police officers and police vehicles. A number of homes and businesses were also attacked.
A huge fire erupts in the middle of the street surrounded by protesters in Northern Ireland on Tuesday
'During the disorder, authorised officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles (AEPs) and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Calm was restored to the area at around 1am.
'Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus with some incidents in north Belfast.'
Flames roared dangerously close to residential properties as thick plumes of smoke filled the air.
Houses were seen with their windows smashed in and doors vandalised with holes kicked through them.
Properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying 'British household' and another with 'Filipino lives here'.
A water cannon was deployed by PSNI on the crowds, as a huge blaze came from the end of a row of terraced homes and among traffic lights in the town centre.
The Northern Ireland Secretary said there is 'no justification' for attacks on police officers or vandalism in Ballymena.
In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: 'The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland.
'There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at people's homes or property.'
The scenes of violence in Ballymena on Monday saw 15 police injured and four homes set alight.
A Romanian mother-of-three who lives in one of the houses attacked during the violence said she has been left too scared to stay in the area.
She said her children were asking why their house was being attacked during disturbances in the town on Monday night.
Several properties were damaged on Clonavon Terrace, while a number of residents said on Tuesday that they now intend to leave the area.
The woman from Romania, who said she was too afraid to give her name, claimed she tried to flee her house after the front window was broken.
'The children were asking me why are we being attacked,' she said.
'I don't want to stay here now, the children are afraid and I am afraid.'
A Romanian man said he had lived in the area for 15 years. 'We don't even know why this happened to us,' he said.
'The riots started last night. We didn't expect it to come to our house.
'We tried to get out of the house and go to a safe place.
'I have lived here 15 years. Everything else has been nice, everything has been OK.
'I have so many friends in Ballymena, I have got so much support.
'Everyone was texting and asking us if we are OK, if we are safe, if they can do anything for us.'
He added: 'I am lucky because the damage here is not too bad, but my sister has three kids, I have a little girl.
'We are going to live in a friend's house for a while and then try to move out of here.'
He said: 'I like to believe I am a Ballymena man now, I have been living here half of my life.
'I understand if people want to protest but it did not have to be like this.
'We should not have to pay the price.'
Riot police vans at Clonavon Terrace as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town
Police vehicles are seen on fire at Tuesday's out of control protest in Northern Ireland
Armed police officers attend the scene in a bid to control day two of the riots in Ballymena
Litter and debris can be seen strewn across the roads and pavements while smashed glass covers the town's streets
A street is set on fire surrounded by people as Tuesday's demonstration erupts into chaos
Troubles flair during the demonstration in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday
A water cannon has been deployed by PSNI on the crowds in Ballymena on Tuesday evening
A wall of riot police and armoured Land Rovers try to protect homes and force the crowd up the road
Police have appealed for calm after serious disorder broke out again on Tuesday evening
Huge flames and clouds of smoke come from the end of a row of houses during Tuesday's riots
Police vans at Clonavon Terrace as people take part in a protest again on Tuesday evening
Disorder has exploded onto the streets again on Tuesday in Northern Ireland
Fireworks were allegedly fired at police lines, an action which received a large cheer from the crowd of protesters
A water cannon has also been deployed by PSNI on the crowds in Ballymena, as a huge blaze and plumes of smoke came from the end of a row of terraced houses
Chaos breaks out again in Ballymena on Tuesday for a second evening in a row
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force had a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances on Monday night in the town.
He said: 'We are actively working to identify those responsible for last night's racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice.
'Anyone who has information or who can help identify those responsible is asked to contact police on 101.'
A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night.
The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday, July 3, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.
Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman described the events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as 'very concerning'.
A spokesman for the PM said: 'The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning.
'Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities.
'PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.'
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