BALLYMENA: Police in Northern Ireland on Wednesday condemned “disgraceful” scenes of violence on a town’s streets after a second night of rioting targeting foreigners in which 17 officers were injured.
The unrest was triggered following the arrest of two teenagers accused of attempting to rape a young girl. The youngsters appeared in court on Monday where they asked for a Romanian interpreter.
Six people were arrested during the second night of riots in the town of Ballymena, around 48 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Belfast, and other places.
“The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable,“ said Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.
“Hate-fuelled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society — they resolve nothing and serve no one,“ he added.
Police will not confirm the ethnicity of the two teenagers who remain in custody, but areas attacked on Monday included those where Romanian migrants live.
Four houses were damaged by fire, while rioters smashed windows and doors of homes and businesses.
“Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction,“ the Police Service of Northern Ireland added in a statement.
Some of the 17 officers injured had required hospital treatment.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour while a sixth was detained on suspicion of disorderly behaviour in Newtownabbey, 30 kilometres away, one of four other places including Belfast where protests were held.
Tensions in Ballymena, which has a large migrant population, remained high throughout the day on Tuesday.
Residents described the scenes as “terrifying” and told AFP that those involved were targeting “foreigners”.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said on Tuesday that the violence had been “clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police”.
