Fire at leisure centre on third night of disorder in Northern Ireland
Masked individuals smashed windows at the leisure centre in Co Antrim on Wednesday and set fires outside which spread inside.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said the facility had been designated as an emergency rest centre for those in urgent need following disturbances in nearby Ballymena but the families had been safely relocated elsewhere.
Police and firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control on Wednesday night.
Larne leisure centre has been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this. pic.twitter.com/F3mlQVwgFy
— Danny Donnelly MLA (@DannyDonnelly1) June 11, 2025
The fire coincided with a third night of public disorder in Ballymena, 30 minutes away from Larne.
Dozens of police officers have been injured during the sustained unrest while multiple properties and vehicles have been set on fire.
The PSNI deployed riot police for a third night in Ballymena as a significant crowd gathered around the Clonavon Terrace area.
At least one protester was struck by a plastic baton round fired by police while officers also used a water cannon on the crowd.
Demonstrators who gathered on Bridge Street near the residential area were told to disperse shortly before 9pm after a firework was thrown at officers.
Officers, who warned they would fire the plastic baton rounds at violent individuals, also used dog units and drones in their response to the gathering.
Riot police with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them down Bridge Street in the town.
They came under sustained attack as those participating in disorder hurled petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks at police vehicles and officers standing nearby.
Tense scenes as police hold the line close to Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena @PA pic.twitter.com/KY8JhzsUDR
— Jonny McCambridge (@McCambridgeJ) June 11, 2025
Elsewhere, social media footage appeared to show an established fire on train tracks running through Coleraine.
Earlier, a senior officer said the PSNI had requested support from colleagues in the rest of the UK following further violence in Ballymena.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared.
He said there were disgraceful scenes in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey on Tuesday, as businesses, homes and cars were attacked and damaged.
By Wednesday, six individuals had been arrested for public order offences, and one charged.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he 'utterly condemns' violence which left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting 'risks undermining' the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend.
Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course.
Mr Henderson said the force had requested about 80 officers through mutual aid.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the 'mindless attacks' against police.
In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but 'division and disorder'.
First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation.
Sinn Fein vice-president Ms O'Neill told reporters in Belfast: 'It's pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up.'
Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as 'unacceptable thuggery'.
With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms O'Neill said she did not believe it would be helpful for her to visit in the current context.
DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly met residents in the town on Wednesday and said the local community are in fear and wanted the violence to stop.
'The key message here today is around that violence, and that the violence needs to stop, that's what the community wants to put across, and that's why I'm here to send that very clear and united message from right throughout the community and local residents for that to stop,' she said.
The violence began around Clonavon Terrace 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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Police said a separate protest in east Belfast also ended early in the evening. The riotous behaviour earlier in the week saw vandalism, vehicles burned and arson attacks on a number of properties across several towns. Petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry and a hatchet were among items thrown at officers. Police responded with water cannon, dogs and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse crowds during riots in Ballymena. Mr Boutcher said: 'I want to specifically mention the 41 police officers who've been injured. Each of those officers have put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities. A PSNI vehicle near debris on fire during disorder in Ballymena (Liam McBurney/PA) 'And I want to send a very clear message to all our diverse communities: we stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with you. We are here to protect you. 'We are your police service, and these bigots and racists will not win the day. This will be policed properly. We will deal with this, and we all know that in this room, but let's call an end to it now.' The PSNI chief said the initial lawful and legitimate process before unrest broke out was done in a way that was responsible and empathetic to the victim. However, he said the protest was subsequently 'hijacked' and turned into 'wanton, disgraceful criminal behaviour that is absolutely race motivated'. The chief said the service was under-resourced and needed to be funded 'properly' rather than 'disgracefully'. A hatchet was thrown at police during the unrest (PSNI Handout/PA) However, he said his officers would still bring people to justice: 'We've put our public order inquiry team together, we'll be releasing images of those responsible. We will be going after them.' Mr Boutcher said 80 public-order officers from Scotland came to the region on Thursday to support policing efforts. He described how PSNI members helped evacuate foreign national families who were hiding in attics and wardrobes in their homes in Ballymena as rioters went on the rampage on Monday. He said the families targeted had done nothing wrong. 'They are not criminals. They contribute positively to society here and are well integrated,' he said. A person throws a hatchet at police during the disorder (Liam McBurney/PA) 'Fire Service colleagues described how they went to the scenes to stop arson attacks at those addresses, and how they, in all their years in the Fire Service, have not seen levels of violence to that level, and told me specifically and directly of the bravery, the courage of a very thin green line of police officers that without doubt, in my view, saved lives that night.' Earlier, a judge said the courts would deal 'robustly' with those involved in the violence in Ballymena. District Judge Nigel Broderick said that young people who got involved were risking a significant custodial sentence, as three teenagers faced rioting charges at the town's magistrates' court on Thursday. Michael Elliot, 18, of Lanntara, Ballymena, and two youths, were the first defendants to appear in court since the sustained violence erupted on Monday. Meanwhile, two other teenage boys who were arrested during the disorder have been released on bail to allow for further police inquiries. Michael Elliott, 18, leaving Ballymena Courthouse, after a short hearing where he faced charges relating to the disorder (Liam McBurney/PA) Secretary of State Hilary Benn described the scenes as 'mindless racist thuggery' while Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long said it has been a 'three-day festival of hate and destruction' which needs to stop before someone loses their life. There was an arson attack on a leisure centre in Larne, thirty minutes from Ballymena, after it was temporarily used as an emergency shelter for those in urgent need after disturbances in the town earlier in the week. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who highlighted the use of the building in a social media post, said all those who had been staying at the leisure centre are in the care of the Housing Executive and have been moved out of Larne. Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Mr Lyons should resign over the post, and the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole, said he would refer the Communities Minister to the standards commission. Mr Benn also asked the minister to 'reflect upon his words' and 'not upon his position'. Mr Lyons has resisted calls for his resignation and said he would 'strongly hit back at any notion' that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families who had been affected by violence in Ballymena.
