The Antrim town of Ballymena was gripped by a second night of what police have described as “racist thuggery, pure and simple”. 

The violence erupted after a girl complained to the police that she was sexually assaulted; two teenage boys were brought before the courts on Sunday and charged in connection with the incident. 

On Monday, a peaceful vigil in support of the alleged victim drew a large crowd, after which rioting broke out. 

Violence in Ballymena. Picture by: Alamy.com.

The violence flared up again on Tuesday evening and 17 police officers were injured. 

Five people have been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour, all of whom remain in police custody. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Belfast-based journalist Amanda Ferguson described the scenes from the town as “awful”. 

“The disorder broke out at around eight o’clock yesterday evening and continued for several hours,” she said. 

“A statement from police in the early hours of this morning said that masonry and petrol bombs were thrown at officers and vehicles. 

“Also, that a number of homes and businesses were attacked. 

“Police discharged plastic bullets and the water cannon also had to be deployed in an attempt to disperse several hundred people who had gathered. 

“Police said that calm was restored to the area about 1am.” 

Police officers check houses in Ballymena. Picture by: Alamy.com.

There were also some sporadic incidents of disorder in the towns of Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as north Belfast. 

At the heart of the rioters’ unhappiness is concern over immigration, with some households in Ballymena resorting to placing Union Jacks on their doors to warn them away - indicating their nationality is British. 

“In Belfast I was observing peaceful street protests, people raising concerns around immigration,” Ms Ferguson said. 

“But in the middle of that, you have really quite racist elements of people. 

“And as we’ve seen last night, there’s the potential for street disorder to spread to other areas.” 

North Antrim MP and TUV leader Jim Allistair has condemned the violence, describing it as ‘obscuring the message’ of locals’ “legitimate concerns” about immigration. 

Main image: Police in Ballymena. Picture by: Alamy.com.