Ballymena riots: GB News’s Mark White says police facing ‘molotov of cocktails’ on second night of violence

GB News

Watch as GB News’s Home and Security Editor Mark White speaks about the unrest in Ballymena which has extended to a second night.He says local police are facing a “hail of Molotov cocktails” as anti-immigration riots grip Northern Ireland.Fifteen police officers were injured during disorder in Ballymena last night, according to reports from the scene. The incident occurred approximately seven hours ago in the County Antrim town.The disorder represents a significant incident for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with the number of injured officers highlighting the scale of the disturbances that took place in the town.The incident took place at approximately 15:00 GMT yesterday, with RTÉ's correspondent arriving at the scene to cover the unfolding situation. McAuley's reporting from Ballymena provided coverage of the disorder as details emerged about the officers' injuries.The timing of the disturbances, occurring during daylight hours on a Monday afternoon, raised questions about the circumstances that led to such significant disorder. With 15 officers injured in a single incident, the scale of the confrontation appears to have been substantial.Further details about the specific nature of the disorder or what sparked the incident have not been provided in initial reports from the scene.

Transcript

00:00Well, indeed, I've just seen one particular image that is quite alarming. One individual,

00:08I don't know if this was someone who had thrown a Molotov cocktail, but was, had caught fire

00:15basically. He was running away with the back of him briefly on fire. I think he managed

00:23to sort of pat it down. So an indication perhaps that it was some of the petrol from a Molotov

00:30cocktail that may well have spilt on him. So no more information than that, but just one

00:37of a number of disturbing images coming out of Ballymina tonight. Police from the police

00:44service of Northern Ireland, well used to, of course, managing public order situations

00:50in Northern Ireland over the years, but facing sustained attack this evening. They have

00:56responded to Molotov cocktails, bricks and other masonry being thrown at them by firing these

01:06baton rounds, effectively rubber bullets. It's not something that the police elsewhere in

01:12the UK really adopt as a tactic. It would have to get very significantly serious.

01:20For those officers in the rest of the UK, we don't normally see baton rounds being fired

01:26by police officers, nor do we see water cannons elsewhere in the UK. But you can see from those

01:33images there, the police service of Northern Ireland have deployed those water cannons that

01:40they find very effective. You know, they are, you know, a crude, but effective way of pushing

01:47back groups of rioters who will, of course, regroup and go up other side streets and the like. But

01:55there's a reason they have that tactic available to them, this water cannon, because they've seen

02:01many riots in Northern Ireland over the years. They're well used to it. But there's no doubt

02:07that the intensity of the disorder in Ballymena is significant tonight. And of course, there will be

02:15a real concern now, this being the second night of disorder, that there is a potential for further

02:23disorder either in Ballymena or elsewhere in Northern Ireland or even elsewhere in the UK. These

02:29things can sometimes take on a life of their own, as we've seen previously with the likes of Southport.

02:37But the PSNI urging people in that area tonight, Patrick, to stay away from Ballymena in this

02:45particular area, the same area that was stricken by disorder last night, to stay away from there

02:52under penalty, potentially of arrest. But I think for the moment, what the PSNI officers will be

03:00doing, it's a well-worn tactic, is just trying to contain the situation, just keep the crowds at bay.

03:08It's often quite difficult to get in and start an arrest phase when clearly they're coming under a

03:15hail of bricks, other masonry and Molotov cocktails.

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