The anti-migrant riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on June 9 and 10, 2025, as reported by The Daily Sceptic (https://dailysceptic.org/2025/06/10/anti-migrant-riots-erupt-in-northern-ireland-after-romanian-teenagers-charged-with-sexual-assault/), mirror the chaos of the Los Angeles riots in their senseless violence, arson, petrol bombs, and attacks on police are indefensible thuggery. Yet, just like in LA, the unrest in Ballymena isn't happening in a vacuum. Beneath the flames and broken windows lies a deeper issue: unchecked mass immigration and a multiculturalism that demands diversity without assimilation, fuelling social unrest. A wise government would tackle these root causes rather than just pointing fingers at the rioters.
The Ballymena riots erupted after two 14-year-old boys, reportedly Romanian, were charged with the attempted rape of a teenage girl on June 7, 2025. What began as a vigil in the Clonavon Terrace neighbourhood spiralled into two nights of chaos, with masked rioters hurling Molotov cocktails, bricks, and fireworks at police, setting four houses ablaze, and smashing windows and cars. Seventeen police officers were injured, some requiring hospital treatment, and five arrests were made for riotous behaviour. A heavily pregnant woman was evacuated from a burning home, and Filipino and Romanian residents reported living in fear. This "racially motivated" violence, as described by Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, is as unjustifiable as the LA riots' looting and vandalism. Torching homes and attacking police doesn't solve problems, it escalates them, alienating communities and drowning out legitimate concerns.
But let's not kid ourselves, riots don't spring from nowhere. Northern Ireland's immigration has surged, with the foreign-born population rising from 6.5% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2021, per census data. While still lower than other European nations, this rapid influx, combined with a housing shortage and cost-of-living crisis, has strained communities like Ballymena, where migrants make up a significant portion of the workforce. The Daily Sceptic notes that the sexual assault case was a spark, but the tinder was years of "uncontrolled immigration" and a multiculturalism that celebrates diversity without fostering integration.
"Anti-migrant riots have erupted in Northern Ireland, leading to 15 police officers being injured and four houses being set alight, after two teenagers, thought to be Romanian, were charged with the sexual assault of a girl. The Telegraph has more.
Two 14- ear-old boys appeared at a local court by videolink on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to them by a Romanian interpreter.
Violence erupted in Ballymena in County Antrim on Monday night after a peaceful vigil of hundreds of people was held in the town centre.
North Antrim MP Jim Allister said Ballymena had been "overburdened" by "unchecked migration", which was a source of "past and future tensions".
The victim's family condemned the riots, which were reminiscent of the disorder sparked in England and Northern Ireland after the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport.
Asking that justice be served "in the correct manner", the family said that they were in "no way involved or condone any trouble that happened" after the peaceful protest.
After splitting from the vigil and setting up barricades in the Clonavon Terrace area of the town, masked rioters threw petrol bombs, masonry, fireworks and bricks at police over several hours.
Several officers needed hospital treatment and two police vehicles were damaged. Police fired one AEP rubber bullet baton round, hitting one rioter. A 29 year-old man was arrested.
Social media footage showed thugs punching through the windows of one home and setting fire to the curtains. One man shouted "paedo protectors" at the house.
In total, four houses were set ablaze and firefighters had to save three people. In one video, one woman was recorded saying, "If they are not local, let them f***ing stay there."
There were unsubstantiated claims online, including by far-Right agitator Tommy Robinson, that the suspects lived in some of the targeted houses."