Seventeen Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers were injured during a second night of unrest in Ballymena, Co Antrim, with some requiring hospital treatment.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour, the PSNI said in a statement, and remain in police custody. A man was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour.
Calm was restored to the town in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a second night of public disorder.
Violent disorder on Monday followed an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
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Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information.
In a joint statement, ministers from across the powersharing Executive in Northern Ireland, which includes Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder in Ballymena have nothing to offer society but “division and disorder”.
“Those weaponising the situation in order to sow racial tensions do not care about seeing justice and have nothing to offer their communities but division and disorder,” they said.
In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday. The force said there had also been “sporadic disorder” in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast.
Police used water cannon to disperse protesters as petrol bombs and masonry were thrown at officers.
Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday night as hundreds of people gathered in the Co Antrim town.
PSNI vehicles formed barricades on some roads while riot police wearing armour and carrying shields also responded to the disorder.
Some protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. A car was set on fire near a car wash and tyre centre as part of a number of blazes started by protesters.
Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Multiple house windows were smashed during the unrest and the clothing of at least one protester caught fire during the disorder.
Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines.
Repeatedly using water cannons, PSNI – accompanied by dog units – moved protesters away from Clonavon Terace towards the junction of Bridge Street and North Street near a mural of King William.
Some homes in the area displayed signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying “British household” and another with “Filipino lives here”.
As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire.
Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street.
The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight.
Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher appealed for an immediate stop to the public disorder, saying: “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.
“Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop.”
Hs said the PSNI would review video footage and images of individuals involved in the incidents would be released to help identify offenders. He added that mutual aid resources would be activated to ensure the PSNI could maintain public order and bring offenders to justice.
The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is “no justification” for attacks on police officers or vandalism.
In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: “The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland.
“There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at people’s homes or property.”
The scenes of violence in Ballymena, which left 15 police injured on Monday, were described as “racist thuggery” by PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night.
The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 3rd, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.
Mr Henderson said members of the minority ethnic community “felt fear” and there would be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. - PA
