Disorder in Ballymena earlier this month (Photo by Kevin Scott)
As of Sunday, the total number of people arrested in relation to recent rioting in Northern Ireland is now 36.
Officers from the PSNI’s Public Order Enquiry Team investigating the disorder have also charged a 26-year-old man to court.
He has been charged with riot and is due to appear before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Monday (June 23).
As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.
Two men, also arrested on Friday, have further been charged; a 42-year-old man arrested for intentionally encouraging or assisting riot and a 54-year-old man charged with riot.
Both appeared before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (June 21).
Disorder in Ballymena earlier this month (Photo by Kevin Scott)
PSNI chief warns rioters ‘we will arrest you’
The unrest began on Monday, June 9, in Ballymena.
That night, what started as a vigil for a teenage girl quickly escalated into riots targeting immigrant communities, triggered by the court appearance of two 14-year-old Romanian-speaking boys charged with attempted rape.
Violent scenes unfolded over four consecutive nights across multiple towns: Ballymena, Portadown, Larne, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Derry, and east Belfast.
Rioters targeted immigrant homes and businesses, setting fires and launching petrol bombs, bricks, fireworks, and missiles.
Over 64 officers were injured across Northern Ireland, including 41 in Ballymena and 23 in Portadown.
This unrest forms part of a broader rise in racially motivated hate crimes, which have surged to their highest levels in Northern Ireland since 2004 – 1,188 incidents were recorded from April 2024 to March 2025