UPDATE: 32 police injured in Ballymena following two nights of violence

Protesters in Ballymena turned to violence again Tuesday evening in a second night of disturbances, throwing petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police, injuring 17 more officers, bringing the total to 32. Officers fought back with baton rounds and water cannons. Five people were arrested on the second night. 

What began as outrage over the court appearance of two teenage boys charged with attempted rape has escalated into a full-blown crisis, drawing in riot police, burning homes, and raising questions about the social fabric of a town teetering between grief and fury. The first night of violence left at least 15 police officers injured.

The second night descended into violence quickly. By sunset, masked youths had gathered around Clonavon Terrace. Petrol bombs and bricks were thrown. Police Land Rovers were pelted with fireworks. Shouts filled the streets, some directed at officers, others at homes. Four properties — all occupied by immigrant families — were vandalised and, in some cases, set alight, as were several vehicles. Police confirmed that a total of 32 police officers were injured after two consecutive nights of violence. The air reeked of smoke and fury. And Ballymena, for the second night in a row, was in flames.

The accused, foreigners, the victim, known locally

This didn’t come from nowhere. On Monday, two boys, both aged 14, were formally charged following the alleged sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. The charges shook the town. The victim is reportedly known locally. 

The suspects, reportedly of foreign descent, were brought before the court with the assistance of a Romanian translator. Within hours, anger spilt onto the streets. The peaceful vigil held in the girl’s honour dissolved into something far darker — a mob chasing answers in all the wrong places.

While the police have stopped short of calling it racially motivated, locals aren’t mincing words. Targeted attacks on immigrant homes. Hate-fuelled chants. A town that’s lost the plot in its search for justice. And a community now torn between calls for calm and cries for retribution.

Disgraceful and orchestrated

Senior officers from the PSNI have labelled the violence “disgraceful” and “orchestrated,” suggesting outside agitators may be exploiting the situation. Reinforcements from other districts have been brought in, and there are talks of backup from police forces across the UK. 

Political leaders, meanwhile, are walking a tightrope — condemning the violence while urging respect for the judicial process, all without appearing tone-deaf to a traumatised town.

Public transport services have been suspended in parts of Belfast amid concerns about potential spillover. 

Rumours spread faster than facts. Online forums are lit up with speculation, rage, and misinformation. What began as a singular, horrifying incident involving a child is now spiralling into something else entirely — a riot with undertones of vigilantism, xenophobia, and institutional fatigue.

For the residents of Ballymena, this is no longer just about one case. It’s about the boiling point. About perception and protection. About who gets to feel safe — and who doesn’t. The following 48 hours will be critical. Either this dies down, and dialogue begins, or the embers already smouldering will set more than just bin bags and petrol on fire.

This isn’t just another police statement or another viral video. It’s Ballymena, raw and fractured. And what happens next may say more about Northern Ireland’s present than its past ever could.

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