Riots erupted and homes were set on fire in a Northern Ireland town after two teenage boys were charged with attempted rape.
Disorder broke out in Ballymena on Monday night with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealing for calm.
Hundreds of people had gathered earlier in the County Antrim town after reports of the alleged sexual assault on a teenage girl.
On Tuesday, local MP Jim Allister said the violence came amid rising local tensions over immigration.
Two teenage boys were charged with attempted rape of a girl on Saturday night.
The 14-year-olds appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where they denied charges of oral rape.
They confirmed their names and ages through a Romanian interpreter. Their solicitor said they would deny the charges.
They appeared by video link from Woodlands Juvenile Centre wearing grey tracksuits and were remanded in custody until 2 July.
Protest over alleged attack
A crowd of around 2,500 people gathered in Ballymena on Monday for a protest related to the alleged attack.
Men, women and children marched along Larne Street and Queen Street from the town centre.
Firefighters had to douse blazes after petrol bombs were hurled by masked youths following a protest in the Co Antrim town (Photo: Pacemaker Belfast)Police officers in riot gear with dogs were deployed with hundreds of protesters stopped on Harryville bridge near Ballymena’s main police station.
Police Land Rovers cordoned off streets while officers with plastic shields stood guard at barricades.
Angry protesters began hurling missiles at police lines before attacking officers with petrol bombs.
A warning alert from the PSNI urging the public to disperse was ignored as the violence escalated.
Bins and barriers were set alight during the disorder as masked youths threw masonry, paint bombs and glass bottles at PSNI vehicles.
Homes set alight
Two houses had their windows smashed before being set on fire, with fire rescue teams evacuating nearby properties.
Firefighters spent hours tackling a large fire while a third home was set ablaze, according to reports.
Footage from the Clonavon Terrace area showed protesters burning plastic road barriers and bins as part of a barricade on the street.
A line of police vehicles advanced towards the protesters followed by officers on foot.
ONGOING – #ballymena – Police have came under attack with Petrol Bombs #NorthernIreland pic.twitter.com/dI7PQLkEmq
— NI Emergency Response Vids (@NiResponsevids) June 9, 2025Firefighters later responded to the burning debris on the road and inspected a nearby house which had filled with smoke.
The Belfast Telegraph has reported that at least four homes were set on fire during the disturbances.
Firefighters in breathing apparatus forced their way into homes
TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister said Ballymena had seen rising concerns about the “sheer scale of migration into the town”, adding that would have been a factor in the “wholly peaceful” protest.
He condemned the “wanton violence” which followed, with obviously a minority of that peaceful crowd wanting to take advantage of that to visit violence which wasn’t wanted or warranted, hence the scenes that we saw,” he said,
“There has been a bit of authorities not wanting to face up to the racial background of some of this over the years.
“That unchecked migration which is beyond what the town can cope with, is a source of past and future tensions; that is the reality of it.”
He added: “Those who came onto the street last night in the main had a perfectly legitimate purpose and cause of being there.”
Police call for calm
Following the violence, PSNI Chief Superintendent Sue Steen urged the public to remain “calm and to act responsibly”.
Mr Allister said he had spoken to the family of the girl who was the victim of the alleged sexual assault and they did not want to see violent scenes.
He said: “Sadly the narrative has been diverted, and it has been diverted by those who wrongly and foolishly involved in violence and made the story something that what it otherwise should be.
“My message is the violence should stop. The concerns are there, I am certainly aware of them, I hear them and there needs now to be a period of calm and justice needs to take its course.”
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