A peaceful protest turned into riots in Northern Ireland last week after the alleged sexual assault of a young girl in Ballymena. Violence later spread to other areas, leaving 64 police officers injured, Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Sunday.
Court Hearing in Coleraine
On Monday, 9th June, two 14-year-old boys appeared before the Coleraine Magistrates’ Court to answer charges of attempted rape. Their solicitor confirmed they would deny charges. Though they spoke through an interpreter in Romanian, their nationalities are yet to be confirmed.
Later, people wearing masks diverged from the peaceful protest to begin building barricades, attacking properties on Clonavon Terrace, and throwing bombs, bricks, and fireworks at police.
Rioters initially focused on damaging areas where Romanian migrants reside.
Subsequent Days
Violence did not cease throughout the night as it spread across County Antrim and to north Belfast. Wednesday, the 11th, saw the most attacks, with a leisure centre set on fire and emergency shelters opening to house families.
A 100-person protest passed peacefully in Belfast on Thursday, but another in Portadown ended with the 400 participants throwing bricks and masonry at police. Though disorder overall was lower, a home of a family with three children was set on fire in Coleraine.
On Friday, photos of four suspects connected to the attacks were released to help police identify them. In Portadown, a water cannon defended police against rioters using petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry, bricks, and bottles. The weekend brought “sporadic disturbances.”
64 police officers were injured throughout the week, with 28 arrests so far and over a dozen charged, including a 13-year-old girl in Ballymena.
Contentious Issue Sparks Various Responses
The chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Mukesh Sharma, earlier had said the initial outbreak was caused by “pure and simple racism.”
“It is a sad reflection that people are putting identifiers on their front doors in the hope of escaping attack,” he added.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister said the “context” of the protests was the “significant demographic change in the area” due to “unfettered immigration,” adding that the violence was “distressing.” His remarks met sharp criticism by other assembly members.
Northern Ireland’s Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said, “Hate-fuelled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society – they resolve nothing and serve no one.”
According to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s recent study, Northern Ireland received an estimated 293,000 long-term international migrants between 2001 and 2023. The 2021 Census revealed 124,300 Northern Ireland residents were born outside the UK and Ireland, with 3.4% coming from an ethnic minority. The report emphasises this is the smallest percentage in the UK, with England and Wales at 18.3% and Scotland at 12.9%.
Net international migration in the Mid and East Antrim area, including Ballymena, was 4,900 between 2001 and 2022.
