Fireworks and bottles thrown at police as Ballymena violence flares for second night

Fireworks and bottles thrown at police as Ballymena violence flares for second night

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Lyndsey Telford & Faye Kidd

BBC News NI

Maria McCann

Reporting fromBallymena, Northern Ireland

BBC correspondent shows aftermath of Ballymena violent protests

Protesters threw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police during another night of disorder in Ballymena on Tuesday.

Five people were arrested and a further 17 officers were injured overnight, bringing the total to 32.

Officers fired baton rounds and used a water cannon to disperse protesters as cars were set on fire and the windows of several houses were smashed.

The disorder began on Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the County Antrim town.

The first protest was organised hours after two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court .

They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges.

Crowds gathered in the Clonavon Terrace area for a second night of violent disorder, which has been described by police as “racist thuggery”.

Riot officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had been deployed to Ballymena.

Police said they also dealt with sporadic incidents of disorder in Newtownabbey, where a man was arrested, and Carrickfergus in County Antrim and north Belfast.

One man, 29, has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police after Monday’s violence.

Mika Kolev and her family have been living and working in Ballymena for about 10 years

Mother-of-two Mika Kolev, who lives and works in Ballymena, said she was now fleeing her home with her family and is considering moving back to Bulgaria after her house was damaged in Tuesday’s disorder.

“We know what’s going to happen so it’s not possible to wait and see what’s going to happen,” she said.

“I
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