A fourth night time of anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland left one other 22 officers injured, police stated Friday (June 13, 2025), as violent protests unfold to a second city.
Firing plastic bullets, police sought to drive again a number of hundred individuals who had gathered in the city of Portadown — some 80km southeast of Ballymena, the place an alleged sexual assault that sparked the violence passed off, in accordance with an AFP correspondent on the scene.
“Last night in Portadown police came under sustained attack from rioters throwing masonry and other missiles,” stated Ryan Henderson, Assistant Chief Constable with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
“Twenty-two officers were injured and I am so grateful to them for their bravery and selfless dedication in protecting the community of Portadown from this criminality,” he added.
Three nights of unrest had already hit Ballymena, some 48 km northwest of Belfast, leaving a path of injury, with 63 police officers now injured and 15 individuals arrested.
Two extra individuals, a girl in her 50s and a person in his 30s, had been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and different offences in reference to Thursday’s (June 12, 2025) dysfunction.
The clashes first erupted on Monday (June 9, 2025) night time after two youngsters had been arrested for the alleged tried rape of a younger woman on the weekend.
Police haven’t confirmed the ethnicity of the youngsters, who stay in custody and had requested for a Romanian interpreter in court docket.
Foreign nationals had been pressured to cover in wardrobes and attics to flee the rioters, police stated on Thursday (June 12, 2025), calling for the protests to finish and warning demonstrators that they’d face arrest.
“Stop this violence,” stated Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher. “We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully.”
Four individuals, principally youngsters, have up to now been charged in reference to the continued dysfunction.
Published – June 14, 2025 03:04 am IST
