Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he “utterly condemns” violence which left 17 police officers injured following a second night of disturbances in Ballymena.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting “risks undermining” the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend.
Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the “mindless attacks” against police.
“I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers,” Sir Keir told MPs.
“It’s absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe.”
In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but “division and disorder”.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation.
Sinn Fein vice president Ms O’Neill told reporters in Belfast: “It’s pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up.”
She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but she said the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case.
“Separate to that is the racism that we’re seeing … people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated,” Ms O’Neill added.
“That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI.”
Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as “unacceptable thuggery”, adding: “We’ve been in contact with the Chief Constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground.
“I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop.”
With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms O’Neill said she did not believe a visit by her would prove helpful in the current context.
DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly was expected to visit the town on Wednesday.
Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night.
The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder.
Police also reported that “sporadic disorder” had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast.
It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged.
A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday 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 thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30pm.
In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on O’Neill Road.
During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
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.
Mr Boutcher said: “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.”
The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders.
He added: “Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society.
“Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate — they are dangerous.
“I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice.”
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