Ballymena still hurting after riots: Residents glad violence over, but 'working out how to recoup', says Deputy Mayor
Ballymena is still hurting, even after the violence of the last week has died down.
That’s according to the town’s Deputy Mayor, Tyler Hoey, who says the town is still trying to settle into normalcy after several nights of disorder – and he adds while people who live at the epicentre of the trouble are finally able to get a good night’s sleep, concerns about immigration remain and a real conversation still needs to take place.
“It’s good that the violence is over; the people of Clonavon, where it was at its worst, are especially glad,” he told the News Letter today (16th). “They can finally get a comfortable night’s sleep in their own beds, without bottles being smashed and sirens going off.
“People are still hurting, that’s the truth of it. The people of the town are trying to find some way of recouping after the last few days.
“And a respectful and honest conversation about immigration needs to be had.”
The violence seen in the Co Antrim town began last Monday night, after an alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl the previous weekend.
Following a peaceful protest, there were attacks on the homes of some residents as well as several nights of rioting.
According to Education Minister Paul Givan, absence rates at the town’s schools spiked amid the violence, with the DUP politician saying some teenage rioters share classes with young people whose homes were attacked.
He added it is “outrageous” that over the last week children have been coming into school traumatised as a result of the disorder.
“Alarmingly, we’re also dealing with some children who engaged in the rioting and attacked some of the houses of the very children in their class,” he said. “So this is an appalling situation, one which is complicated and requires intervention.
“My team have been engaged with a number of schools as a result of the picture that we have had to deal with.”
Trouble spread to other towns over the course of last week, with Larne Leisure Centre set on fire and violent scenes in Portadown after an anti-immigrant protest. The problems died down over the weekend, with the police stating there was only “sporadic disorder” – but in places like Ballymena, the psychological scars are still raw.