'Ballymena riots are not noble acts to protect women - they are racist attacks'
Riots broke out this week in Ballymena, a small Northern Irish town following the arrest of two 14-year-old boys following an alleged sexual assault on June 7.
The Mirror reported that 2,500 people amassed in the Harryville area of the town on Tuesday evening, a day after both of the youths denied charges of attempted oral sexual assault at a magistrates court. Further protests were seen on June 11 spreading across Ballymena, and other towns Larne and Coleraine.
This may seem noble on the surface: locals taking to the streets to protect women and girls. If this was the case, these same rioters would be out on the streets week on week, as violence against women is endemic in Northern Ireland.
The riots, however, are a veneer for the racism that lurks beneath. These men have not taken to the streets out of the goodness of their hearts to ensure safe passage for everyone to live happy, harmonious lives.
June 11 marked the third night of unrest in the town, with 17 police officers injured. The Police Service of Northern Ireland in a statement said of June 10's violence that they 'sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks' thrown at officers.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: 'The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection.'
In a statement to Belfast Live, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson added that the 'violence was clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police.'
This, to me, is reminiscent of the stoked racist hatred that erupted in the wake of the Southport attacks of July 2024. Of these attacks, CNN reported that: 'far-right agitators [had] mobilized around online misinformation and hateful, anti-migrant and anti-Muslim narratives.'
It is no secret that far-right extremists exploit the pain of horrendous crimes or allegations of crime, like the Southport murders of three girls and the recent alleged sexual assault in Ballymena, for their own gain. It is right out of their playbook to turn this hurt into rage against a targeted group.
In the Ballymena unrest, two properties were set alight, one on Bridge Street while the other is a home on Queen Street. Windows were smashed on other homes, as residents took to putting up signs displaying their nationality of the occupiers. 'British household' one reads, while another says "Filipino lives here". This is abhorrent. No society can achieve equality, in any respect, through fear.
It is a relief to see that the political leaders of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom stand against this hatred. First Minister Michele O'Neill has called the attacks 'abhorrent', while Prime Minister Keir Starmer 'utterly condemns the violence'.
But this condemnation is not totally universal, nor without caveats. TUV MP for North Antrim, Jim Alister, said on BBC Radio Ulster: 'It would be foolish to ignore the fact that there is a racial connotation to this matter.
'Violence wherever it comes from is wrong, but the context of this situation needs to be addressed. The context is that there has been unhindered migration, particularly from the Republic [of Ireland], of people of Roma extraction into Ballymena. That has been building tension for years.'
Women deserve safety, security, and respect. Nothing short of total equality. That applies no matter your background. There is no room for racism in any society. We must not accept these attacks as anything but what they are: racist attacks.
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