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Behind the Story: Ballymena riots and the online forces at play

Behind the Story: Ballymena riots and the online forces at play

RTÉ News​a day ago

There have been calls for calm in Ballymena following two nights of riots that saw 32 PSNI officers injured.
The unrest has come following protests on Monday night linked to an alleged sexual assault.
Two teenagers have since appeared in court charged with attempted rape, while on the streets cars have been set on fire, houses have been targeted, and water cannons have been deployed.
Many of those targeted have been migrants living in the area, and the police have described the rioters' actions as "racist thuggery".
As all of this has unfolded in the town, online there were calls to action from well-known far-right figures.
In the latest episode of Behind the Story, David and Fran are joined by RTÉ's Northern Correspondent Conor Macauley to go through what he has seen on the ground in Ballymena, and what the reaction has been.
They are also joined by Senior Analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue Ciarán O'Connor to hear about how far-right figures have turned their attention to Ballymena, and what kind of influence that has had.

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