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Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Second night of anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland town
Violence flared for a second night in a Northern Irish town after 'racially motivated' attacks following a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault. Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, took to the streets of Ballymena on Tuesday, throwing petrol bombs, bottles and masonry as police responded with water cannon. There was a heavy police presence in one area of the town, about 30 miles (48km) northwest of Belfast, as protesters set fire to a car and barricades. Police also fired plastic baton rounds to disperse the crowds. The unrest first erupted on Monday night after a vigil in a neighbourhood where an alleged sexual assault had happened on Saturday. 'This violence was clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police,' Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable, said on Tuesday. 'It was racist thuggery, pure and simple, and any attempt to justify it or explain it as something else is misplaced.' Tensions in the town, which has a large migrant population, remained high throughout the day on Tuesday, as residents described the scenes as 'terrifying' and said those involved were targeting 'foreigners'. 'Last night, unfortunately, has probably scared a lot of people. We are actively working to identify those responsible and bring them to justice,' said Henderson. Two teenage boys, charged by police with the attempted rape of a teenage girl, had appeared in court on Monday, where they asked for a Romanian interpreter, local media reports said. The trouble began when masked people 'broke away from the vigil and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties', police said. Security forces also came under 'sustained attack' with petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks thrown by rioters, injuring 15 officers, including some who required hospital treatment, according to the force. Four houses were damaged by fire, and windows and doors of homes and businesses were smashed. Northern Ireland saw racism-fuelled disorder in August after similar riots in English towns and cities triggered by the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, northwest England. 'Ballymena has a large migrant population; a lot of people actually work in the town and provide excellent work,' said Mayor Jackson Minford.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Children's reading enjoyment falls to lowest recorded level in UK
Reading enjoyment among children and young people in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, with the decline particularly pronounced in teenage boys, according to new research. While the past year saw boys' reading enjoyment fall across most age groups – particularly among those aged 11 to 16 – girls' enjoyment remained relatively stable or slightly improved. The National Literacy Trust surveyed 114,970 children and young people aged five to 18 from UK schools about their reading habits as part of its Annual Literacy Survey. Of girls aged eight to 18, 39.1% said they enjoyed reading in their free time, compared with 25.7% of boys. Girls were more likely to report reading for wellbeing and emotional support than boys, while boys and girls reported reading for curiosity purposes at similar levels. Just one in three (32.7%) eight- to 18-year-olds reported enjoying reading 'very much' or 'quite a lot' this year. The 20 years since the survey began have seen a 36% fall in the number of children and young people who say they enjoy reading in their spare time. Meanwhile, the number of eight- to 18-year-olds who report reading something daily in their free time has halved in the last two decades, from 38.1% to 18.7%. 'This year's data is once again stark,' said NLT CEO Jonathan Douglas. 'We are witnessing the lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation – a critical challenge for literacy, wellbeing and life chances. Children's futures are being put at risk and joining forces across sectors to address the reading for pleasure crisis is essential'. However, the research 'also offers hope', he said. Of those who do not enjoy reading, 38.1% said that they were more motivated to read when the material relates to a favourite film or TV series, while 37.1% said they would be motivated by finding books that match their interests or hobbies. 'This suggests linking reading text more explicitly to other media, particularly visual media, and emphasising how reading can help you to explore personal interests could support greater reading engagement in this group,' reads the report. 'Young people are still motivated to read when it connects to their interests, when they have choice, and when it feels relevant to their lives. We must meet young readers where they are' in order to 'reignite a love of reading', Douglas added. Of those with the lowest reading enjoyment levels, 30.9% said they were motivated to read by seeing an interesting book cover or title. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Participating in a book club or group discussion was rated the least motivating factor by children who reported not enjoying reading, with just 2.7% saying a group would motivate them to read. These results challenge 'some long-held assumptions about how to build a culture of reading', states the report. 'While these strategies may benefit avid readers, they may do little for those on the margins of literacy engagement.' Differences in reading enjoyment between children based on socioeconomic background was 'minimal'. Of eight- to 18-year-olds who do not receive free school meals, 33% reported enjoying reading in their free time, compared with 31% who do receive them. Geographical differences did emerge, with 33.2% of eight- to 18-year-olds in England reporting enjoying reading in their free time, compared with 25.5% in Wales, 30.3% in Scotland, and 28.9% in Northern Ireland.
