The unrest in the town of Ballymena, some 30 miles (48 kilometres) northwest of Belfast, erupted Monday night after a vigil in a neighbourhood where an alleged serious sexual assault happened on Saturday.
Tensions in the town, which has a large migrant population, remained high on Tuesday, as residents described the scenes as “terrifying” and told AFP those involved were targeting “foreigners”.
The trouble began when masked people “broke away from the vigil and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties,“ the police said.
Security forces also came under “sustained attack”, police said, with petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks thrown by rioters, injuring 15 officers including some who required hospital treatment.
‘Terrifying’
Cornelia Albu, 52, a Romanian migrant and mother-of-two who lives opposite a house targeted in the attacks said her family had been “very scared”.
“My family was very scared,“ she said, adding she would have to move now.
A 22-year-old woman who lives next door to a burnt out house in the same Clonavon neighbourhood said the night was “terrifying”.
“But there were local people indoors down the street scared as hell,“ the woman, who did not want to share her name for security reasons, told AFP.
According to Mark, 24, who did not share his last name, the alleged rape on the weekend was “just a spark”.
Migrant population
“Ballymena has a large migrant population, a lot of people actually work in the town and provide excellent work,“ Mayor Jackson Minford told AFP.
“We are actively working to identify those responsible and bring them to justice,“ said Henderson, adding a “significant policing presence” would remain in place.
Footage on social media appeared to show protesters targeting houses by smashing windows and some masked individuals kicking in doors and windows.
“Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers,“ Downing Street added.
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