UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Northern Irish authorities on Wednesday, June 11, in condemning what he called two nights of "mindless" violence targeting foreigners. The unrest that has injured 17 police officers has included rioters throwing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks, while homes as well as businesses have been attacked. The violence was triggered by the arrest of two teenagers accused of attempting to rape a young girl. The pair appeared in court on Monday where they asked for a Romanian interpreter.
"We strongly condemn the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days and make an urgent appeal for calm across society," said ministers from every party in the UK province's power-sharing executive in a joint statement. Starmer joined them in condemning "mindless attacks."
Residents had been "terrorized" and police injured, they added, urging people to reject the "divisive agenda being pushed by a "destructive" minority. Six people were arrested during the second night of riots in the town of Ballymena, around 48 kilometers northwest of Belfast, and other places. "Hate-fuelled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society – they resolve nothing and serve no one," said Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.
Police will not confirm the ethnicity of the two teenagers who remain in custody, but areas attacked on Monday included those where Romanian migrants live. Four houses were damaged by fire, while rioters smashed windows and doors of homes and businesses.
"Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction," the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement. Some of the 17 officers injured had required hospital treatment.
Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behavior while a sixth was detained on suspicion of disorderly behavior in Newtownabbey, 30 kilometers away, one of four other places including Belfast where protests erupted.
Tensions in Ballymena, which has a large migrant population, remained high throughout the day on Tuesday. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson on Tuesday denounced the violence as "racist thuggery" and said it had been "clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police."
The unrest comes as immigration is increasingly a hot-button issue across the United Kingdom – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – and in the neighboring Republic of Ireland. Some 20% of Ireland's 5.4-million population is now foreign-born.
Official data showed a population increase fueled by migration of around 100,000 in the year to April 2024 – the largest since 2007. The last census in 2021 put the number of people in Northern Ireland who identified as Roma, a distinct ethnic group whose population is largely concentrated in eastern and central Europe, at around 1,500 or 0.1% of the population. The official figures do not indicate how many are longstanding residents or recent immigrants but the census put the number of Romanian-born people living in the province at 6,612.