
Ballymena riots are start of civil war – UK should brace for summer of torched cars & smashed windows & gov know it
WE are sliding, dangerously, towards a civil war.
I hadn't thought it would come to this. I got that wrong.
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For two nights there has been mass rioting in Ballymena in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of (largely) young men in balaclavas attacking the police, local businesses and any foreigner they can get their hands on.
More than 30 police officers have been injured. And the riots have spread — to Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and the capital Belfast.
Of course, they have something in common with those riots we saw in mainland Britain last year. Hundreds took to the streets to complain about the sheer numbers of asylum seekers deposited in their towns.
They caused mayhem. And the Government responded by bending the law to get them shoved in prison as soon as possible. Even those who weren't actually taking part in the demos, just posting about them from their homes.
That unjust and heavy-handed approach from the Government — and which led to the nickname Two-Tier Keir — showed they knew that trouble was just below the surface.
You can only stretch the patience of the people so far. And then it snaps back and really hurts.
In a sense, the riots are a kind of mirror image of those we are seeing every night in Los Angeles.
Except that in the case of California, it is immigrants and their supporters doing the rioting because they do not want to be kicked out of the country.
The cause, then, is the same. Immigration. Far too much of it. So much that it changes the culture of our towns and cities. And we end up feeling, as Starmer put it, living on an island of strangers.
Nobody in the UK voted for any of this. Nobody went down the ballot box and thought: Yep, I think we need a whole bunch of new immigrants. As many as we can get. Especially those immigrants who can't speak English, don't understand our way of life and have no intention of integrating.
Riots hit NI AGAIN as petrol bombs & bricks thrown at cops & water cannon used after homes burned in 'racist thuggery'
Nobody voted for that. And yet over the past 25 years that's what we have got. Since 2000, the population of the UK has increased by ten million — much of it the consequence of immigration.
It has been an epic disaster. And it means that after decades of getting along OK with the limited numbers coming in, now all bets are off. Because it has been a case of far, far too many. Far too quickly.
The Ballymena riots were in response to allegations of the attempted rape of a young local girl, for which two Romanian teens have been charged — although several other nationalities have been caught up in the backlash.
Pretty similar to what happened here last summer. But that's not the root cause of the issue.
Remedy is simple
The real cause is successive governments which have allowed — and in both parties' cases — encouraged more and more migrants to flood into the country.
The remedy is very simple. Call for a moratorium on immigration right now. No more in. You could adapt the phrase 'Net Zero' for this policy. The first time ordinary members of the public will chant it with pleasure.
Because the way things are going, this is going to be the summer of torched cars, smashed windows and thuggery.
And the Government cannot say that it has not been warned.
WHERE IS THE PRIDE?
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LOOKING forward to the World Cup next year?
No, me neither. I don't think I have ever witnessed a worse England performance than in that defeat to Senegal.
They swanned about, passing it back, passing it further back, boring the arse off the crowd.
They tried playing it out from the back. And Senegal were on to them every time. They didn't even attempt to press the Africans when they were in possession.
Just lolled around. Not a moment of wit or brilliance – and we are supposed to be No4 in the world? You must be joking.
Senegal deserved their victory and in truth it could have been five.
I know it's the end of a long season. I know it was just a friendly.
But do they not have any pride in pulling on that shirt?
GRETA STILL A MISERY
WHAT was that Swedish Doom Goblin (SDG) trying to prove?
Greta Thunberg set off for Gaza in a boat with a load of pro- Hamas supporters.
She was caught by the Israelis and kicked out, told never to return.
What did this achieve, other than giving the SDG more publicity?
And the chance to do a bit of virtue signalling in front of the usual keffiyeh-bedecked idiots?
Sheesh, she was irritating enough when she was 14 and screaming 'How dare you!' at anyone filling their car up with petrol.
But she's morphed into the role of Most Annoying Woman on Planet Earth.
Can't the Swedes ban her from leaving the country, or something?
GOT yer Brazilian Bum Bum Cream yet?
Hurry, hurry. The yellow gunk is only about 50 quid a jar. And guess what 'flavour' it is? Yup, pistachio.
Everything these days is pistachio. I've seen pistachio paint (used to be called 'green').
And pistachio perfume. Then there is pistachio-flavoured ' Dubai Chocolate ' at 14 quid a bar.
And now you can rub the great taste of pistachio on your arse, too.
Me? I think it's all . . . nuts.
JUDGES FAILING
A GUTTER thug called James Higginson killed his girlfriend's two kittens.
Neighbours could hear the cries of distress as he bludgeoned them to death. Shouting, 'How do you like this, stupid bitch?'
He tried to kill a third but the creature was rescued by the RSPCA.
And so what happened in court? A suspended sentence.
The halfwit of a judge, Patrick Mason, decided he shouldn't go to jail. Because he had been suffering from mental health issues. As ever.
When are our courts going to take cruelty to animals seriously?
And understand that people who are capable of hurting animals will soon move on to hurting humans?
EXISTENCE OF GOD MAKES HOLE LOT MORE SENSE
SOME physicists believe we may be living in the middle of an extremely large black hole.
I suppose that might explain how my hair looks first thing in the morning.
And why I can't raise the energy to get out of bed. It's not utter laziness. I'm just pinned to my bed by an infinite chunk of gravity.
Thing is, the more I read the increasingly bizarre explanations for the existence of the universe from quantum scientists, the more I'm tempted to believe in the existence of a chap with a long white beard deciding everything.
Multiverses? Or we are all in a giant simulation, a kind of mash-up of Grand Theft Auto and World Of Warcraft? Or we're actually living in a black hole?
What seems more probable to you – those ideas, or God?
SO, another £30billion to be poured down the gaping, ravenous maw of the NHS.
Do you think things will get better? And meanwhile, the Government does a U-turn on winter fuel payments.
And Rachel Reeves cannot even bring herself to apologise for having scrapped it in the first place.
She says the economy is better now. So she can afford the payments. What drivel.
The economy is WORSE than it was when Reeves cut those payments. She got it wrong, simples.
And doesn't have the character to admit it.
ED, IT'S A START
THE Government has at last approved funding for Sizewell C nuclear plant.
It should have been built the best part of 40 years ago. But nuclear reactors are expensive.
And the anti-nuclear lobby very loud.
We need Sizewell C because relying on wind power is dangerous.
You can't guarantee when the wind is going to blow. Nor, indeed, if it will blow too hard for the turbines.
A few more decisions like this and Ed Net Zero Miliband will almost be on the verge of joining the real world.
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Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Crime will be the next immigration. Politicians will be punished for it
It's hard to shake off the sense that Britain is creeping towards lawlessness. Low-level crime is on its way to becoming legalised, whether officially – in the case of cannabis – or not – as with shoplifting. Public faith in the police is collapsing as many serious crimes like burglary and assault routinely fail to be solved, and sometimes even go uninvestigated, while ' speech crimes' trigger the full wrath of the law. Too many neighbourhoods are becoming hotbeds of anti-social behaviour, with begging prolific and buildings defaced by graffiti. True, Britain is cash-strapped. But it's the fusion of chronic underinvestment with liberal idealism which is so toxic. Disorder is being normalised, criminals treated as victims, the rule of law eroded. Though politicians remain convinced that crime is a second-order issue, it could eventually prove the Labour Government's undoing. My own local area in west London is disintegrating. It started with a clutch of beggars congregating outside the Tesco after Covid. Now they are joined by dishevelled women selling 'washing powder' and bare-footed addicts. For the most part, they are a nuisance rather than dangerous. Like many women in the city, when I walk the streets, I get the surreal feeling of being neither safe nor unsafe. With the crime rate in my area surging by a third since 2019, and several of my neighbours recently burgled, that may soon change. When I expressed my concerns to police and crime commissioners this week, they echoed Mark Rowley's complaint about a lack of funds. Some say they find Rachel Reeves's claim that she is hiking police spending by 2.3 per cent each year exasperating. A view prevails in Westminster that crime is a non-issue. Its proponents point to statistics that suggest it is at its lowest level on record. They think that technology is rendering crime a relic of the past, with their favourite example, carjacking, now largely a fool's errand thanks to security device innovation. They think that any ongoing problems pertain to a tiny number of chronic offenders. Meanwhile, Left-leaning criminologists insist that conservatives' fears that 'soft' policing could drive up crime are prejudiced. Crackdowns are said to be 'counterproductive', alienating 'disproportionately-targeted' minority groups. Such framing overlooks the risk that unrecorded crime is quietly climbing, as law-breaking becomes such a regular occurrence that some victims don't bother to report it. Other kinds are probably not being picked up properly by polling. Even more worrying is the Leftist view that, if there is a specific issue with chronic offenders, it's the consequence of too much law and order rather than too little. Keir Starmer's prison guru, James Timpson, thinks Britain is 'addicted' to sentencing. Sadiq Khan has backed 'partial' cannabis decriminalisation, amid claims that policing the drug harms more than the substance itself. The way in which the Left tries to romanticise these criminals is if anything becoming more strident – we are told that in the wake of austerity and Covid, certain law-breakers are, deep down, troubled souls. Shoplifters and fare dodgers who are allegedly 'struggling with the cost of living' are the latest group to which any 'compassionate' society should turn a blind eye, the Left insist. This myth threatens to shake the foundations of our society by undermining the sacred principle that we are all equal under the law. There is only so far we can fall down this rehabilitation rabbit hole before triggering a crime surge. Labour is adamant that the Michael Howard school of tough sentencing has failed. It has opted to release offenders early and ignore our rotting prison estate. This is a terrible mistake. Even if prison isn't working in the sense that it isn't preventing ex-convicts from reoffending, policymakers should not use this as an excuse to avoid punishing those who break our laws. The answer to our failure to rehabilitate is not to allow criminals to escape punishment. In the most important sense, prison almost always 'works' by preventing somebody who is locked up from stealing or assaulting other people. True, rehabilitation can sometimes work wonders. I have spoken with ex offenders who have been transformed by such programmes. One woman, Sonia, told me of how the support of one charity helped her evade the 'revolving door back to prison'. But resource-intensive, bespoke rehabilitation is tricky to scale. In austere times, the temptation to roll out rehab on the cheap could prove overwhelming, and will end in failure. As veteran probation expert Mark Leech told me: 'There are prisoners that have done the courses so many times they could deliver them better than the tutors who deliver them.' Chasing a utopian ideal, with no idea how to make it work, let alone on a tight budget, is flirting with disaster. Efforts by some criminologists to discredit the policing approach known as 'broken windows' could also end badly. This concept, which clamps down on low-level crime such as graffiti and drug-taking on the basis that tolerating 'minor' disorder leads to a culture that promotes much more serious crime, helped flatten a vicious crime wave in 1990s New York. It has been trashed in recent years, amid complaints it is racist and based on 'bogus' evidence. I disagree. Broken windows could once again be a vital weapon against certain serious crimes, such as sexual offences. Police officers on the front line certainly seem to think so: as Matthew Barber, PCC for Thames Valley, says: 'You won't find many hardened criminals who didn't start doing things at a young age before getting steadily out of control. Fix those basics and you'll prevent an awful lot more serious crime down the road.' Though Labour politicians may be in denial, a slow-burning crisis is unfolding. There is a widespread sense of malaise, that law is breaking down. In Red Wall towns, Labour's 'levelling up' projects are being undermined by anti-social behaviour. In the cities, alarm at gang violence, as well as muggings and burglary, may yet nudge professionals to the Right. Labour's inability to tackle crime could cost it dear.


BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
PSNI chief warns rioters ‘we will arrest you'
Northern Ireland's police chief has warned 'bigots and racists' behind three nights of disorder in the region that his officers will be coming after them. Jon Boutcher said a young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena at the weekend, an incident that triggered protests that descended into violence in the Co Antrim town, had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting since Monday. Advertisement Forty-one officers have been injured in the unrest, which had resulted in 15 arrests by Thursday evening. Mr Boutcher, who met the girl's family on Thursday, delivered a stark message to the rioters as he spoke to the media in Belfast after a meeting with his oversight body, the Northern Ireland Policing Board. 'Stop this violence,' he said. 'We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully. It is not in any way a way for a civilised society to behave and it must stop now.' He said the family was 'mortified' by the disorder. Advertisement 'This girl's family and this girl want it to end. Our communities want it to end. We need it to end. So please don't come out on the streets tonight. If you do, we will police you and we will deal with you through the criminal justice system.' After the warning, gatherings in several towns proceeded largely without any major disturbance by 9pm on Thursday. A significant police presence had been deployed to Ballymena and Portadown but there was no initial repeat of the violence of previous nights. Police said a separate protest in east Belfast also ended early in the evening. Advertisement Officers from the PSNI form a barricade with riot shields during disorder in Ballymena (Liam McBurney/PA) 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. Advertisement '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.' A PSNI vehicle near to debris on fire during disorder in Ballymena (Liam McBurney/PA) 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'. Advertisement A hatchet was thrown at police during the unrest (PSNI Handout/PA) The chief said the service was under-resourced and needed to be funded 'properly' rather than 'disgracefully'. 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. A person throws a hatchet at police during the disorder (Liam McBurney/PA) The head officer 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 night. 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. '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.' Michael Elliott, 18, leaving Ballymena Courthouse, following a short hearing where he faced charges relating to the disorder (Liam McBurney/PA) Earlier, a judge warned that courts will deal 'robustly' with those involved in violence in Ballymena. District Judge Nigel Broderick warned 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 in the Co Antrim town on Monday. Meanwhile, two other teenage boys who were arrested during the disorder have been released on bail to allow for further police inquiries. A firefighter outside Larne Leisure Centre (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. Thirty minutes from Ballymena, a leisure centre in Larne was subjected to arson after temporarily being used as an emergency shelter for those in urgent need following 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. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons (Liam McBurney/PA) Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Mr Lyons should resign over his social media post while 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.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
‘Political pawns': Morale among California National Guard and Marines deployed in LA is underwater, report claims
The 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 US Marines sent to Los Angeles in response to the ongoing anti-immigration raid protests are reportedly suffering from low morale, according to members of the veterans community, amid allegations of a chaotic initial deployment and widespread concerns of the military being drafted into domestic law enforcement. 'Among all that I spoke with, the feeling was that the Marines are being used as political pawns, and it strains the perception that Marines are apolitical,' Marine Corps veteran Janessa Goldbeck, who runs the Vet Voice Foundation, told The Guardian. 'Some were concerned that the Marines were being set up for failure. The overall perception was that the situation was nowhere at the level where Marines were necessary.' 'The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn't the kind of national security we signed up for,' added Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative in an interview with the outlet. Controversy has followed the deployment since President Trump first federalized the California National Guard and ordered the state troops into Los Angeles on Saturday and a battalion of Marines was activated two days later. California has sued the Trump administration over deploying the Guard, alleging the decision has 'caused real and irreparable damage' to both Los Angeles and the state's larger sovereignty. Governor Gavin Newsom has also accused the White House of sending in thousands of troops without adequate provisions or training, sharing photos obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle of guardsmen sleeping head-to-foot on bare floors. 'You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep,' he wrote on X. 'Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another.' 'This is what happens when the president and (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) demand the National Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place … (and) no federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging,' a source involved in the deployment told the Chronicle of conditions during the early stages. 'This is really the failure of the federal government. If you're going to federalize these troops, then take care of them.' U.S. Northern Command later said the photo showed soldiers who weren't current on a mission in what were only temporary accommodations due a 'fluid security situation.' When asked for comment, a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command pointed to a website for Task Force 51, which is coordinating the protection mission in Los Angeles. 'The Soldiers and Marines have contracting for billeting, latrines, showers, handwashing stations, food service, full laundry service, bulk ice, and bulk fuel,' the website reads, in regards to troop conditions. 'While awaiting fulfillment of the contract, Soldiers and Marines have adequate shelter, food, and water.' Federal officials say the military members in Los Angeles will not be formally arresting protesters, though they might temporarily detain individuals to stop threats or interference against federal agents, and they have authorization to provide security to federal buildings and operations. U.S. Northern Command shared a photo Thursday showing Marines training in non-lethal tactics with riot shields, and the military has said the troops could deploy within the next 48 hours. President Trump has faced larger criticisms for allegedly politicizing the military in response to the protests, including upset over a campaign-rally style speech about the crisis in front of jeering troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Base officials reportedly screened the crowd for those who disagreed with Trump and asked them to alert their superiors so others could be put in their place during the speech.