An angry crowd in Northern Ireland set houses on fire and injured police officers after Romanian-speaking teens appeared in court

At least 15 police officers were injured during angry protests in Northern Ireland overnight on Monday, following court hearing in which two Romanian-speaking minors were charged with the attempted rape of a local girl. Both have denied the charges.

Northern Ireland police have branded the ensuing unrest as racially motivated violence.

A vigil in the town of Ballymena involving some several hundred people eventually turned violent as masked protesters reportedly started throwing petrol bombs and bricks at police and attempting to set homes they believed belonged to the families of the accused on fire.

Videos from the scene showed the rioters erecting barricades on the streets and setting them alight as well as smashing windows. One person was arrested on "suspicion of riotous and disorderly behavior," the police said, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland branded the riots "totally mindless, unacceptable, and feral." The alleged victim's family also condemned the unrest but also thanked "the people who came from far and wide to support us and ask that justice be served in the correct manner."

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the violence "was clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police".

Last year, local police reported a surge in what it called race hate crimes. According to the law enforcement data, the number of such crimes grew by 309 in Northern Ireland between September 2023 and September 2024, an increase of approximately 33% compared with the previous 12 months.

READ MORE: Northern Ireland records surge in race hate crimes

The police linked the increase to mass anti-immigration protests in the province and across the UK in early August, following a knife attack at a dance workshop in Southport, England, in July 2024, when a teenager of Rwandan descent stabbed three children to death and injured eight others.