Riots against Romanian community in Northern Ireland continue after rape attempt allegations
The small town of Ballymena, in Northern Ireland, saw its third night of violence after two Romanian teenagers were accused of attempting to rape a teenage girl.
Wednesday night’s violence consisted of clashes between masked individuals and the police. Law enforcement responded with water cannons to Molotov cocktails and fireworks launched by several hundred people, most with their faces covered.
To lower tensions, the regional council decided to relocate the immigrant families, who are likely Romanians, to a leisure center located 30 km from Ballymena. This decision was meant to be confidential, but the community minister for East Antrim published it on social media, and the hotel was later attacked with stones and set on fire.
The opposition is now demanding an investigation into the official for endangering people’s safety, according to The Telegraph.
Due to the reluctance of local authorities and press to report the names and ethnic background of those at the center of the scandal, it is only clear that the conflict began after two 14-year-old boys were charged on Sunday, June 15, with attempting to rape a teenage girl. The BBC revealed that they used a Romanian language translator in court, so protestors targeted the Romanian immigrant community specifically.
Firebombing the house of immigrants quickly became the goal of the masked protestors, and the practice spread to three other communities in Northern Ireland, with some residents posting signs on their homes or walls reading “Filipinos live here” or “British resident” to protect themselves.
Nevertheless, press correspondents noted that the riots had decreased in intensity on Wednesday, and the conflict may gradually subside.
(Photo source: Gary Hider | Dreamstime.com)
