Police in Northern Ireland have faced attacks for the fourth consecutive night, with disorder spreading across multiple towns.
Following a protest in Portadown on Thursday, missiles were thrown at officers, continuing a trend that began earlier in the week in Ballymena.
This escalation occurred after Northern Ireland’s police chief warned the “bigots and racists” responsible for the earlier unrest that his officers would pursue them.
Jon Boutcher stated that a young girl, the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena which had sparked the initial protests, had been “further traumatised” by the subsequent rioting.
As of Thursday evening, 41 officers had been injured in the unrest, resulting in 15 arrests.
Mr. Boutcher, who met with the girl’s family earlier that day, addressed the media in Belfast after a meeting with the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
“Stop this violence,” he urged. “We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully. It is not in any way a way for a civilised society to behave and it must stop now.” He added that the family was “mortified” by the disorder.
“This girl’s family and this girl want it to end. Our communities want it to end. We need it to end. So please don’t come out on the streets tonight. If you do, we will police you and we will deal with you through the criminal justice system.”
Despite the warning, tense scenes unfolded in Portadown as masked individuals hurled bricks, fireworks, and other projectiles at riot police late into the night.
Officers worked to extinguish fires set on roads, while local residents cleared debris from the area around Jervis Street.
Police units, supported by a water cannon, dispersed the crowds into other parts of the town towards midnight.
However, the unrest in Northern Ireland appeared to be less intense compared to earlier in the week.
Some planned gatherings in other towns proceeded without significant disturbance by 9 pm on Thursday.
A significant police presence was deployed to Ballymena, but there was no immediate repeat of the previous nights’ violence.
Police reported that a separate protest in east Belfast also ended early in the evening.
The earlier riotous behavior included vandalism, vehicle burnings, and arson attacks on properties across several towns.
Petrol bombs, fireworks, bricks, and a hatchet were among the items thrown at officers.
Police responded with water cannons, dogs, and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse crowds during the Ballymena riots.
Mr. Boutcher emphasized: “I want to specifically mention the 41 police officers who’ve been injured. Each of those officers have put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities.”
“And I want to send a very clear message to all our diverse communities: we stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with you. We are here to protect you.”
“We are your police service, and these bigots and racists will not win the day. This will be policed properly. We will deal with this, and we all know that in this room, but let’s call an end to it now.”
The PSNI chief stated that the initial lawful and legitimate process before the unrest ensured responsibility and empathy for the victim.
However, he said the protest was subsequently “hijacked” and transformed into “wanton, disgraceful criminal behaviour that is absolutely race motivated”.
The chief mentioned that the service was under-resourced and required proper funding rather than “disgraceful” neglect.
Nevertheless, he affirmed that his officers would bring the perpetrators to justice: “We’ve put our public order inquiry team together, we’ll be releasing images of those responsible. We will be going after them.”
Mr. Boutcher announced that 80 public-order officers from Scotland arrived in the region on Thursday to support policing efforts.
He recounted how PSNI members assisted in evacuating foreign national families who were hiding in attics and wardrobes in their homes in Ballymena during the Monday riots.
He emphasized that the targeted families had done nothing wrong.
“They are not criminals. They contribute positively to society here and are well integrated,” he said.
“Fire Service colleagues described how they went to the scenes to stop arson attacks at those addresses, and how they, in all their years in the Fire Service, have not seen levels of violence to that level, and told me specifically and directly of the bravery, the courage of a very thin green line of police officers that without doubt, in my view, saved lives that night.”
Earlier, a judge stated that the courts would deal “robustly” with those involved in the violence in Ballymena.
District Judge Nigel Broderick warned that young people who participated risked significant custodial sentences, as three teenagers faced rioting charges at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday.
Michael Elliot, 18, of Lanntara, Ballymena, and two youths, were the first defendants to appear in court since the sustained violence began on Monday.
Meanwhile, two other teenage boys arrested during the disorder have been released on bail pending further police inquiries.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn described the scenes as “mindless racist thuggery,” while Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long called it a “three-day festival of hate and destruction” that needed to stop before someone lost their life.
There was an arson attack on a leisure centre in Larne, thirty minutes from Ballymena, after it was temporarily used as an emergency shelter for those in urgent need following the disturbances earlier in the week.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who highlighted the use of the building in a social media post, stated that all those who had been staying at the leisure centre were now under the care of the Housing Executive and had been moved out of Larne.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill called for Mr. Lyons to resign over the post, and the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole, said he would refer the Communities Minister to the Standards Commission.
Mr. Benn also asked the minister to “reflect upon his words” and “not upon his position”.
Mr. Lyons has resisted calls for his resignation and said he would “strongly hit back at any notion” that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families affected by the violence in Ballymena.
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