Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the force has activated a request for mutual aid resources from policing colleagues across Great Britain, after riots in Ballymena continued.
He urged the public to openly condemn the violence, and appealed directly to those involved in the riots, saying the demonstrations derail the very pursuit of justice they are seeking.
It comes after six people have been arrested and one other has been charged in what police are calling ‘mob violence’.
The riots follow an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged.
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on X: https://twitter.com/itvnews
