Tensions over mass migration into Northern Ireland came to a head in Ballymena, County Antrim, on Monday after violence followed a peaceful protest over an alleged local sexual assault.
Rioting took place after two teenage boys appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, confirming their details through a Romanian-speaking interpreter and denying all charges.
Police described the action—which resulted in one arrest—as “racist thuggery.” Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister agreed that the violence was “very distressing,” but stressed the “context” for the initial protest was that there had been “significant demographic change in the area” because of “unfettered immigration.” The MP added that rioting “obscures the message” surrounding “legitimate concerns about immigration.”
GB News correspondent Dougie Beattie said he was “surprised” clashes hadn’t already taken place—particularly in North Belfast—over migration because of the “massive influx” since Labour got into government last year.
[Migrants] are being pushed in and settled into working-class areas … We’ve seen some trouble [in Belfast] last year—shops were burnt down belonging to foreign nationals, et cetera.
And it’s not because of any other reason than our culture is different here and women are highly respected … Once anything of apparent sexual abuse or anything else comes along those lines, it creates quite a storm.
Rioters are reported to have targeted buildings housing migrants and to have attacked police officers (injuring 15), as well as causing general violent disruption.
Broadcaster Adam Brooks predicted that similar such scenes could soon play out across the rest of the UK, saying that while “I don’t want that to happen and I’d never condone rioting … sticking thousands of unknown foreign men with completely different outlooks of women, amongst families is clearly very dangerous.”
