Instant Karma!

As violence raged through Northern Ireland for the second consecutive night, this is the horrifying moment a demonstrator was set on fire in the streets of Ballymena.

Footage showed one protestor up in flames as rioters launched petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers – who condemned the ‘racist thuggery’ of rioters.

In addition to the violence that wounded 17 police officers, there were protests in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus, and Newtownabbey.

Cars and properties were also set on fire in Ballymena after violence first erupted on Monday following a calm vigil of 2,500 people that descended into mayhem.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds and used water cannons as well as dog units as they battled to restore order.

It comes after two 14-year-old boys – who both needed a Romanian interpreter in court – were charged with the attempted oral rape of a teenage girl on June 7.

A third arrest was made in relation to the alleged sexual assault on Monday night as a 28-year-old man was taken in for questioning and then released.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the ‘racially motivated’ disorder.

Mr Henderson added there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community.

Police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI, the senior police officer added.

In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1 am on Wednesday.

Officers in the Clonavon Terrace area came under ‘sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction’.

A spokesperson said earlier in the evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey.

In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry were thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30 pm.

Bins near the O’Neill Road roundabout in Newtownabbey were set on fire.

Officers used a number of plastic baton rounds and a water cannon to try to disperse the gathering during the disturbance in Ballymena.

The spokesperson said: ‘Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring required hospital treatment.

‘Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the O’Neill Road in Newtownabbey.

‘A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened.’

Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said scenes of violence in Ballymena ‘risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection’.

He added: ‘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. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. As with any serious offenders in Northern Ireland, we will pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.

‘We will now begin our investigation of reviewing all evidence gathered, including video footage, and images of the individuals involved will be released to identify offenders. Do not throw away your future and do not continue to endanger or intimidate the lives of others.’

Following a peaceful demonstration earlier in the day in support of the family of a girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted in the vicinity, violent unrest broke out on Monday night in the town’s Clonavon Terrace.

A gathering of 300 yobs threw petrol bombs at officers, broke windows and torched cars throughout the Harryville area – the day after the calm vigil turned violent.

As the crowd raged around the town, the PSNI stated that multiple homes and businesses were attacked. Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, and north Belfast also saw unrest.

Masked thugs hurled bottles, wood, rocks, metal bars, wheelie bins, and even a kid’s bike as fear swept through Ballymena.

The mob of protestors cheered loudly when fireworks were directed at police lines in startling sights.

Litter and debris were scattered across the roads and pavements, while smashed glass surrounded the town’s streets. 

Families in the area told reporters they were fleeing their homes while some residents marked their doors with their nationality in an apparent bid to avoid the attack.

Roadside vehicles were damaged with hammers, and rioters flipped them over and punctured their tyres.

Officers from the PSNI ran through the town accompanied by police dogs, dodging flying objects and debris from the fires. 

Armoured Land Rovers attempted to protect residences while police detained people and forced hundreds of people away from properties. 

Officers used a loudspeaker to make a repeat warning to ‘disperse as force is about to be used against violent individuals’.

Baton rounds – a less lethal alternative to traditional bullets – were fired on protesters, the PSNI later revealed.

In a statement, when the rioting had finally been quelled at 1 am, the force said: ‘Calm has been restored in Ballymena following serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas last night.

‘Disorder broke out shortly before 8 pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at police officers and police vehicles. A number of homes and businesses were also attacked.

‘During the disorder, authorised officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles (AEPs) and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Calm was restored to the area at around 1 am.

‘Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus with some incidents in north Belfast.’

Thick smoke plumes blanketed the skies as flames blazed dangerously near residential structures.

Houses were seen with their windows smashed in and doors vandalised with holes kicked through them.

Properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those usually resident, including one saying ‘British household’ and another with ‘Filipino lives here’.

As a massive fire spread from the end of a row of terraced houses and around traffic lights in the town centre, PSNI used a water cannon on the crowds.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said there is ‘no justification’ for attacks on police officers or vandalism in Ballymena.

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 brutality in Ballymena on Monday saw 15 police injured and four homes set alight. 

A Romanian mother of three who lives in one of the houses and was attacked during the violence said she has been left too scared to stay in the area.

She said her children were asking why their house was being attacked during disturbances in the town on Monday night. 

Several properties were damaged on Clonavon Terrace, while several residents said on Tuesday that they now intend to leave the area.

The woman from Romania, who said she was too afraid to give her name, claimed she tried to flee her house after the front window was broken.

‘The children were asking me why are we being attacked,’ she said.

‘I don’t want to stay here now, the children are afraid and I am afraid.’

A Romanian man said he had lived in the area for 15 years. ‘We don’t even know why this happened to us,’ he said. 

‘The riots started last night. We didn’t expect it to come to our house.

‘We tried to get out of the house and go to a safe place.

‘I have lived here 15 years. Everything else has been nice, everything has been OK.

‘I have so many friends in Ballymena, I have got so much support.

‘Everyone was texting and asking us if we are OK, if we are safe, if they can do anything for us.’

He added: ‘I am lucky because the damage here is not too bad, but my sister has three kids, I have a little girl.

‘We are going to live in a friend’s house for a while and then try to move out of here.’

He said: ‘I like to believe I am a Ballymena man now, I have been living here half of my life.

‘I understand if people want to protest but it did not have to be like this.

‘We should not have to pay the price.’

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force had a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances on Monday night in the town.

He said: ‘We are actively working to identify those responsible for last night’s racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice.

A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night.

The man, who is expected to appear before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 3, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.

Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman described the circumstances which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as ‘very concerning’.

A spokesman for the PM said: ‘The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning.

‘Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities.

‘PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured.’

It’s awful what has happened, but the Irish like so many British people have had enough of thousands of economic migrants being put in their neighbourhoods – specifically young men who treat women differently to us!

Once a wonderful place to live, Ballymena is now a terrifying place to live, but this is what we are witnessing in every town in the UK and Ireland right now.

People can’t surely believe that all of these same events over the western world are just coincidences. Someone is attempting to harm our society. We can see who is implementing it, but not who is orchestrating. We need to break, remove, and stop those hoping to destroy our societies through open border policies by any means possible. Starting with our own government.

Sadly, when individuals feel threatened, they resort to violence, even though it is never the solution.