Northern Ireland’s police chief Jon Boutcher has warned “bigots and racists” behind three nights of disorder in the region that his officers will be coming after them.
Mr Boutcher said a young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena at the weekend – an incident that triggered protests that descended into violence in the Co Antrim town – has been “further traumatised” by the rioting that has been witnessed since Monday.
Forty-one officers have been injured in the unrest that had also resulted in 15 arrests by Thursday evening.
The riotous behaviour saw vandalism, vehicles burned and arson attacks on a number of properties across several towns.
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Petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry and a hatchet were among items thrown at officers over the three nights of disorder. Police responded with with water cannon, dogs and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse crowds in the town.
Mr Boutcher, who met with the girl’s family on Thursday, delivered a stark message to the rioters as he spoke to the media in Belfast following a meeting with his oversight body, the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
“Stop this violence,” he said. “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.
“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.
“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,” he said.
He said the girl and her family “want it to end”.
Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged in relation to the alleged sexual assault.
The PSNI chief said the initial lawful and legitimate process before unrest broke out was done in a way that was responsible and empathetic to the victim.
However, he said the protest was “hijacked” and turned into “wanton, disgraceful criminal behaviour that is absolutely race motivated”.
The chief said the service was under-resourced and needed to be funded “properly” rather than “disgracefully”.
However, he said his officers would still bring people to justice and will release images of those responsible.
Later on Thursday night, police came under attack for a fourth consecutive night in Northern Ireland as disorder spread through multiple towns.
Missiles were thrown at police after a protest in the town of Portadown, continuing a trend that had been sparked earlier in the week in Ballymena.
There were tense scenes in Portadown as masked individuals hurled masonry and other objects at riot police later into the night.
However, the unrest appeared of a lower intensity than scenes earlier in the week.
Some gatherings planned in other towns proceeded largely without any major disturbance by 9pm on Thursday.
A significant police presence had been deployed to Ballymena but there was no initial repeat of the violence of previous nights.
Police said a separate protest in east Belfast also ended early in the evening.
Mr Boutcher said 80 public-order officers from Scotland were due to arrive in the region on Thursday to support policing efforts.
The head officer described how PSNI members helped evacuate foreign national families who were hiding in attics and wardrobes in their homes in Ballymena as rioters went on the rampage on Monday night. He said the families targeted had done nothing wrong and contribute positively to society.
“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.”
UK secretary of state Hilary Benn described the scenes as “mindless racist thuggery” while Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long said it has been a “three-day festival of hate and destruction” which needs to stop before someone loses their life.
Thirty minutes from Ballymena, a leisure centre in Larne was subjected to arson after temporarily being used as an emergency shelter for those in urgent need following disturbances in the town earlier in the week.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who highlighted the use of the building in a social media post, said all those who had been staying at the leisure centre are in the care of the Housing Executive and have been moved out of Larne.
Mr Lyons has said he would “strongly hit back at any notion” that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families who were affected by the violence.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill said Mr Lyons should resign over his post while 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”. —Press Association
