My son is not racist and the protests are not racist either
John Toner, Sunday Life, June 15th, 2025
POLITICAL LEADERS HAVE ABANDONED BALLYMENA, CLAIMS PARENT OF TEEN CHARGED OVER DISORDER
The mother of a teenager accused of rioting in Ballymena has defended her son and insisted the riots are not racist.
Michael Elliott (18) was the first alleged rioter to be pictured in the press after being charged with riotous assembly following days of violent disorder.
One of three teenagers to appear at Ballymena Magistrates Court on rioting offences on Thursday, he was remanded in custody.
The town has seen a week of sustained violence and attacks on police in disturbances which followed an alleged sex attack on a teenage girl last weekend.
'scapegoat'
Elliott's angry mum Carla (36), who has appealed for people to protest peacefully, told Sunday Life she stood by her son and believed he had been made a scapegoat.
She said: “He's only 18 a couple of months. He's only just over the threshold to be charged as an adult.
“I was a bit cross at the courts because that's my son's face now plastered all over international news.
“I burst into tears when I left the court. I was in shock that he was remanded when there's been people bailed for worse.
“I am angry at the justice system for going after children to make an example.
“If you're going to do that, do it to them all, especially when the police came with the force they did.”
The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland is currently 10 years old.
Local youth courts deal with all criminal cases involving young people under the age of 18.
When Michael Elliott appeared in court, a police officer said he was arrested on Tuesday night following an incident where a house on Bridge Street had been set on fire.
The officer said police believed it was important that courts send out a “strong message”.
He said if the court did not, there was a risk of further disorder that could lead to “death or serious injury” for foreign nationals living in Ballymena.
A defence solicitor said his client's involvement was limited to “throwing stones”.
The district judge told Elliott he was a young man who now found himself in the dock in court.
Refusing bail he said the court would deal “robustly” with those where there was evidence they were involved in the disorder.
Speaking about the outbreak of violence in Ballymena, Carla Elliott recalled: “I was shocked when it turned into a riot, but I wasn't surprised because nobody is listening to people. Nobody cares about Ballymena.
“Michelle O'Neill said she wouldn't even come here, which is a kick in the teeth. She is no first minister for all, and I'm saying that as a Catholic.
“Politicians have a lot to answer for. They are the reason our country is the way it is.”
Michelle O'Neill decided against visiting the Co Antrim town after taking advice from police, saying she did not wish to “cause even more kind of kickback”.
The disorder, which started in Ballymena last Monday and spread to Larne, Portadown, Newtownabbey, Newry and Coleraine, has drawn widespread condemnation.
Videos of houses being burned and windows being smashed as people chanted “f*** the foreigners” and “get them out” caused shock and outrage.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher labelled rioters “racists and bigots”.
First Minister Ms O'Neill described the incident as “naked racism”. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed concern.
ashamed
However, mother-of-three Ms Elliott, who lives with her family on the Lanntara housing estate in Ballee, just outside Ballymena, insisted that the riots were not racist.
She said: “I didn't agree with local people's houses being damaged, but the ones inciting the trouble weren't even from here. They were from Belfast.
“You can hear the different accents in the videos. It wasn't Ballymena people, but it's made us look racist.
“Ballymena has been unfairly portrayed. Our country was already on its knees. We already have enough bad people of our own.
“I would like the government to listen to their own people.
“We fought for this country during the Troubles, and our grandparents would be ashamed of what's happening to our country.
“They need to look after our own people and deal with the crimes our own people are committing. We don't need the extra stress.
“If we didn't have them (migrants) coming, we wouldn't have all the stresses we do and the NHS crisis and so on.
“My son is not racist and I don't think the riots are racist.
“There's a difference between the ones that have paperwork to be here and the ones that are here illegally.
“It's the illegal ones who need to be shipped back to their country where they come from.
“They're up and down across the border, using different passports and IDs.
“We're not racist. I have cousins who are a different colour. I have worked with Poles and Romanians with no problem.
“It's the illegals that are the problem. They don't respect our laws and traditions, and we've had enough.”
Although the violence of recent nights was not at the same scale as it was at the start of the week, Ms Elliott believes the protests will continue.
She said: “It's a two-tier system. Foreigners are treated differently by the police.
“Ballymena has done silent protests for years, and nothing has been done, so I don't know what they expected.
“I wouldn't discourage people from protesting because our country is on its knees, but they need to protest peacefully and not do riots.”
'I have left Ballymena for good'
John Toner, Abdullah Sabri and Adrian Rutherford, Sunday Independent, June 15th, 2025
As police were attacked for a fifth consecutive night in Northern Ireland a prominent Roma businessman has revealed families have fled the country and will never return.
Marko Kolev said several members of the Roma community in Ballymena, Co Antrim, have left for mainland Europe after racist rioters burnt out their homes and smashed windows throughout the week.
Rioters also set fire to Larne Leisure Centre, which had earlier been used as an emergency centre for those forced out by the racist violence in Ballymena. The families had been relocated before the attack began.
Mr Kolev, a businessman and father of three, who is now understood to have left Ireland, spoke to reporters before he and his family fled.
"It's a disaster. It's been really tough, my family has not been doing very well with it all, it has been frightening and stressful to see people from my community being targeted in this way,” he said.
"People's homes being burnt down and windows smashed, it's crazy. It has upset me and my child, who keeps asking me questions about it all: 'Why daddy? Why don't these people like you and me?'
"I don't know how to answer those questions, it's difficult.”
Mr Kolev, a former resident of Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena, said many frightened Roma people have abandoned the town and elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
"Lots of people have left, I think some have gone back to Europe, I am (in the process of) leaving too,” he added.
"Nobody from our community wants to stay in Ballymena now, everyone wants to get clear. I don't think the people who have left will come back. How could they after this?
"I work, my wife works, lots of people in our community work. I don't understand how these people see things so differently and imagine all these things about us that are not true. It is so hard. They say things like 'go home', 'go back', 'don't stay here any more'. I have lived and worked here for 12 years.
"I left with my family about a week ago and I don't think I will ever return permanently.”
Violence broke out in Ballymena last Monday after a vigil was held for a teenage girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault at Clonavon Terrace. Earlier that day, two 14-year-old boys, who required a Romanian interpreter, appeared in court charged with attempted rape.
Masked rioters threw missiles at officers and a police car was attacked during the disorder, which the PSNI described as racially-motivated. It also said at least 63 officers had been injured.
Violence has spread
The violence began to spread across Northern Ireland as the week progressed. In Portadown there was serious disorder on Thursday and Friday night.
Petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry and bottles were thrown at riot police in the Co Armagh town. Shortly before midnight on Friday, the PSNI used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas.
Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson slammed the scenes as "racist thuggery”.
"Those attacking police and terrorising our community have nothing to offer but fear, division and hate,” he said. "Let me be clear: it is not protest, it is not legitimate. It is an assault on the rule of law and those who put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe.”
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has said about 50 households have received assistance across the week, and 14 families have been provided with emergency accommodation.
Anri-racism rally in Belfast
Yesterday hundreds of people turned out at Belfast City Hall for an anti-racism rally, where crowds were told the rioting could end in tragedy.
Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty NI said: "We're here because once again the ugly face of racism has show its face on our streets, this time in terrifying attacks. We're just one petrol bomb away from racially-motivated murder.”
United Against Racism Belfast chair Ivanka Antova added: "Our communities will not be bowed by racism. The racist minority will not win.”
On Friday afternoon the police said they were actively investigating "those posting hate on social media” as the PSNI put out an appeal to identify rioters from CCTV footage.
A senior officer said there would be a "scaled-up” policing presence across Northern Ireland in anticipation of further disorder over the weekend. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the mobilisation, which would include officers sent over from Scotland, was "to reassure our communities and protect our streets”.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said on Thursday that his officers would be coming after the "bigots and racists” behind the disorder.
He also said that the young girl who was the victim of the alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been "further traumatised” by the rioting across the week.
Gavin Robinson says DUP call for ‘honerst action’ on immigration not racist
The DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, said his party's call for "honest action” on illegal immigration does not make the party racist or far right.
Mr Robinson also hit out at "sneering commentary” from those in "leafy suburbs” unaffected by the issue.
He said the scenes in Ballymena, Larne and Portadown were "utterly disgraceful”, and warned of the damage to the region's image a month out from The Open golf championship returning to Portrush.
"The DUP has long called for honest action to address illegal immigration and the pressures it places on communities and public services,” he said.
"That doesn't make us racist or far-right, it makes us realists.”
‘Zero tolerance’ of racism needed
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said a "zero tolerance” approach is the only way to deal with such attacks.
"No government is immune, no country or society is immune from this type of violence that is racially motivated, let's be honest and call it out for what it is,” he said.
"Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary of state, was in the homes, and saw a man coming along with boxes trying to collect belongings. But he said the place was charred and burnt out —these are scenes we cannot condone.”
"We must have zero tolerance for this and we must support the respective police forces, in this case the PSNI, the gardaí and others when they are confronted with shocking violence of this kind.
Ahead of marching season in the North, Mr Martin added: "I think the violence will ease. The vast majority of people in these communities do not want this violence, do not want this type of activity.”
The PSNI have released an image of a man they want to speak to as part of their investigation into the recent disturbances. The latest image follows four released by police on Friday as officers investigate several offences.
UPDATE: Taoiseach seeking briefing from Fiosrú re Donalson killing.
An Garda Síochána facing legal action over Denis Donaldson investigation
Conor McAuley, Northern Correspondent, RTE Updated / Sunday, 15 Jun 2025 11:13
GARDA REFUSING TO HAND OVER VICTIM’s PERSONAL PAPERS TO FAMILY
A policing oversight body is taking legal action against An Garda Síochána over its failure to comply with an investigation into the murder of British agent Denis Donaldson in Co Donegal almost 20 years ago.
Fiosrú, which replaced the Garda Síochána Ombudsman's Commission (GSOC), has informed the Donaldson family of the move.
In a letter, it said it took the view that gardaí had not complied with a request for information required for its investigation.
Accordingly, it said the ombudsman had decided to commence proceedings in Dublin Circuit Civil Court seeking an order for disclosure, adding that the case was in its early stages.
Both Fiosrú and An Garda Síochána declined to comment.
An Garda Síochána said it did not comment on Fiosrú matters.
The Donaldson's family solicitor, Enda McGarrity, said the Fiosrú investigation had been ongoing for three years.
"We now understand that Fiosrú are commencing legal proceedings against An Garda Síochána arising out of a failure to comply with aspects of the investigation.
"That's a matter of significant concern to the family because the body which is charged with investigating the murder of Denis Donaldson are now not only being investigated, but failing to comply with investigation and that gives rise to family's wider concern that the State are currently not delivering an effective investigation."
Solicitor concerned at three year wait
Enda McGarrity said the family have significant concerns over the investigation
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Friday that he would be happy to meet the Donaldson family to discuss their concerns.
Denis Donaldson was a senior Sinn Féin official working at Stormont who had been accused of being part of a republican spy-ring there.
He was exposed as a long-standing British agent when the criminal case against him and others was discontinued in December 2005.
He was shot dead in the family's remote cottage near Glenties in April 2006, weeks after he had been photographed and spoken to there by a newspaper journalist.
Three years ago Mr Donaldson's daughter, Jane, complained to GSOC raising concerns about how the gardaí had responded to information about the threat to her father's life.
She claimed that despite being told by the PSNI of an increased risk to Mr Donaldson's life after he was approached by the media, it failed to take adequate measures to protect him.
Dissident republicans claimed the murder, but the family say it has an "open mind" about who was responsible.
Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams successfully sued the BBC after it broadcast a documentary claiming he had sanctioned the shooting.
He had vehemently denied the accusation.
Victim’s family want victim’s personal journal
An inquest into the circumstances of Mr Donaldson's murder has been adjourned on 27 occasions due to the ongoing garda murder investigation.
The family is also keen to have their father's journal returned. Gardaí have declined to return it, despite earlier assurances that it would be handed back.
The family believes it may cast light on the lead up to Mr Donaldson's murder.
They would like the Irish Government to establish a commission of investigation which can take evidence in both open and closed hearings.
They believe it is the best way to get to the truth of what happened.
An investigation by Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman found the PSNI had failed to carry out a formal updated risk assessment on Mr Donaldson after he was visited by the media.
The family is taking a civil action against the police and others on the basis of that report.
UPDATE: An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin is to seek briefing from Fiosrú.
Taoiseach condemns violence in Ballymeena
Adrian Rutherford and Victoria Steveley, Irish Independent, June 14th, 2025
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was hopeful the racially-motivated violence which has convulsed Northern Ireland will abate before the start of the marching season as he warned every country has to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to such racist attacks.
Mr Martin said it was shocking to see families fleeing their homes amid fears of masked gangs targeting their families.
It comes as a rally has heard rioting could end in tragedy as campaigners vowed to root out racism in society.
Hundreds of people gathered at Belfast City Hall this afternoon.
"No government is immune, no country or society is immune from this type of violence that is racially motivated, let’s be honest and call it out for what it is," he said.
"What is interesting is we had the British-Irish Council over the last two days in Co Down and the rioting happened parallel with that – I am not saying there is any connection other than when we last had British Irish Council in Dublin, it was the night of the Dublin riots.
"I remember the following morning the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales and the UK government representatives that were there at the time all said we’ve all had similar experiences.
"This is very, very dangerous - this kind of wanton violence but worse, the intimidation of families was quite shocking...the burning out of homes.
Hilary Benn
"Hilary Benn, the (Northern Ireland ) Secretary of State – he was in the homes, he saw a man coming along with boxes trying to collect their belongings. But he said the place was charred and burnt out and these are scenes we cannot condone.
"(We) must have zero tolerance for (this) and we must support the respective police forces, in this case the PSNI, the Gardaí and others when they are confronted with shocking violence of families of this kind.
"(The Northern Ireland executive) is providing additional resources to the PSNI to give them greater capacity to deal with situations like this - they have got to lead from the front as well in terms of calling it out which I witnessed.
"Both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister did (that) yesterday at the press conference at the conclusion of the British Irish Council and that is the key to dealing with this and also more long term.
"We need to create a better climate and culture within society – we do need to engage with communities and hear what communities are saying in given locations, and also continue our awareness and education around difference and around generating a culture of plurality which I witnessed recently in a school."
"Unfortunately social media just put their attention on people – I saw recently after the marches in Cork, two pubs being selected and picked on – (on) social media.
"That is dangerous stuff – these pubs are social places in Cork which we cherish, which our people cherish – we don’t want anything getting in the way of normal life and normal living.
Social media dimension ‘dangerous’
"The social media aspect of this is very worrying, there is a lot of incitement on social media. There is a lot of misinformation around this subject – there are people who have legitimate issues that need engagement with and dialogue on but equally then, you have the other side where there is just gross misinformation (being spread)."
Mr Martin said he was hopeful the violence would ease before the start of the marching season in Northern Ireland - a traditional time of tensions within communities.
"I think it will ease. I fervently hope that because many of the politicians that I spoke to over the last two days have been in the communities. The vast majority of people in these communities do want this violence, do not want this type of activity,” he said.
"That must be said as well - so I am hoping that with a whole community influence that this type of behaviour will stop."
Organised by United Against Racism, the emergency demonstration in Belfast was called following several nights of violence in Ballymena and other towns.
Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty NI told those gathered: “We’re here because once again the ugly face of racism has shown its face on our streets, this time in terrifying attacks.
"We’re just one petrol bomb away from racially-motivated murder."
The rally also heard from speakers including Belfast’s deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty.
Mr Doherty hit out at Communities Minister Gordon Lyons following controversy over a social media post by the DUP minister.
He branded Mr Lyons “a disgrace” and said he should resign.
United Against Racism Belfast chair Ivanka Antova said: “Those responsible for the racist violence have nothing to offer but hatred and fear, and we will oppose them every step of the way.”
Last night, police were attacked as violence flared in Portadown, Co Armagh. Images showed one officer surrounded by flames after a petrol bomb was thrown.
Others were pelted with fireworks and missiles including masonry, bricks and bottles as unrest continued past midnight.
Carla Lockhart, the DUP MP for the area, said: “It is deeply disheartening to see a small minority resort to violence and unrest. I unequivocally condemn these actions and appeal once again for calm, restraint, and respect.”
Alliance deputy leader Eoin Tennyson slammed the scenes as “racist thuggery".
Shortly before midnight, the PSNI used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas.
Water cannon
The water cannon was used again at around 12.30am this morning.
Elsewhere, there were reports of disruption and damage to public property as riot police responded to another protest in the Tullyally area of Derry.
It came after a senior officer said there would be a "scaled-up" policing presence across Northern Ireland in anticipation of further disorder over the weekend.
Paramilitary presence in North's riots fuels racism in loyalist communities
Sam McBride, Sunday Independent and Sunday Life, June 15th, 2025
There is a darkness at the heart of Northern Ireland that appears impervious to the light of progress.
For brief periods it vanishes, unseen among the shiny new buildings, fancy cars and growing diversity delivered as the bounty of peace.
But as sure as night follows day, the ugliness re-emerges into view, made all the starker by how much else has changed for the better.
The Northern Ireland of today is an immeasurably better place than that into which I was born. For those born earlier in the Troubles or under the old Stormont parliament's rule, the contrast is far more pronounced. In assessing the flaws of our age, history is an essential corrective to either despair or conceit.
Nevertheless, more than a quarter- of-a-century after the Good Friday Agreement, it's hard not to despair at what has been happening on the streets of Ballymena, Larne, Portadown, Coleraine and Belfast over recent days.
Last weekend, a teenage girl told police she had been sexually assaulted in Ballymena. The police arrested two 14-year-old Romanian boys who were charged with attempted rape, which they deny.
Last Monday night, a protest was held in support of the girl's family. It was peaceful. What followed was not.
Migrants' homes were attacked by a rampaging mob — several were burnt out. Firefighters kicked in doors to search burning buildings for anyone trapped. Police were attacked and a riot broke out.
It continued over the following nights, spreading to other areas — all of them with substantial loyalist populations — and resulting in injuries to more than 60 PSNI officers.
Social media dehumanises migrants
Some of the forces now at work are not unique to this troubled land. The reliance on social media — where Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg's algorithms deliberately promote wild conspiracy theorists over reputable journalism — is a malignant force, eating away at society as lies are pumped around its bloodstream.
The influence of foreign figures — from Donald Trump to the rise of the far right in continental Europe — makes those following racist impulses feel not that they are beyond respectability, but that they are part of a great global movement.
As migrants have been dehumanised, some people now lack the most basic empathy. When a man shouted that there was someone inside a burning Ballymena house, a woman replied: "Aye, but are they local? If they're not local, let them stay there.”
That night, Filipino Keven Rous, a family man who works at Ballymena's most successful company, Wrightbus, saw his family's home destroyed. He plaintively said: "I have no enemy. I am very humble and polite and very friendly. What are my faults?”
These hard-working people were left having to try to justify their very existence to thugs. The following night, notices appeared on various doors stating the nationality of the inhabitants, or union flags were hung out of windows in an attempt to fit in.
There was an inescapably dark parallel to the Israelites marking their doorposts and lintels with blood so the Angel of Death would pass over their habitation.
The PSNI said there is "no intelligence” of paramilitary involvement. That strains credibility. The PSNI said the same about anti-Irish Sea border rioting on Belfast's Shankill Road in 2021 and it was demonstrably absurd.
In that riot, I stood yards from children barely out of primary school who were shown by men in balaclavas how to make petrol bombs and throw them to maximum effect.
No one does that in the UVF's heartland without its permission — and the PSNI has exceptionally good intelligence on loyalist paramilitaries.
Just a few weeks ago, a judge released to me material put before him by UVF commander Winston Irvine, who had been subsequently caught with guns and ammunition.
Irvine told the judge that in 2021 he had "served a leading role in working with the PSNI… to defuse tensions and restore order following the anti-protocol riots”, boasting that "the intervention successfully brought an end to the riots”.
Why were the PSNI working with a UVF commander to end rioting it claimed was not run by the UVF?
Here was a paramilitary leader negotiating with police to end violence his terror group had started — and then using that as evidence to convince a judge to give him a lighter sentence when he finally got caught red-handed for something else.
Protestant Primate speaks out
Last week it took a cleric, Church of Ireland primate John McDowell, to state what everybody knew — that behind the rioters were "the shadowy and unaccountable people who control them”.
Belfast writer Newton Emerson once cynically described rioting in east Belfast as "a funding application”. There is now an entire infrastructure of well-funded individuals who have relevance only if they can stop the rioting. In this there is a perverse incentive for rioting to break out every few years. If it was over for good, these people would be unnecessary.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson was asked last week if loyalist areas had a particular problem — something he denied. Difficult as it is for a politician elected by these areas to admit it, there is clearly a far greater racism problem among loyalists.
This isn't to imply that all loyalists are racists. They're not. There have been plenty of loyalists making clear over recent days that what has been happening is abhorrent. But there are far more of these problems in loyalist areas.
Yet there is something these people care about even more than their hatred of migrants, and that's the union. A far-sighted unionist leadership would realise a future border poll may be decided by migrants and use that to educate these people.
Already, more than 13pc of Northern Ireland's population was born outside of it. Attacking any migrant is not just morally wrong but strategically stupid for loyalism because all migrants are watching.
Tyler Hoey and UDA
Instead, the opposite has been happening. The DUP deputy mayor for the Ballymena area is Tyler Hoey. Just a week ago, after being elevated to that post, he refused to address concerns about his long-standing UDA links.
Hoey is a member of a band that regularly carries UDA banners and wears UDA-style uniforms, as well as commemorating UDA thugs. It's all entirely open.
On social media several years ago, he liked a tweet praising the Greysteel massacre, in which civilians were slaughtered. He voiced support for South East Antrim UDA, notorious even within loyalism for drug-dealing and thuggery.
When a DJ wouldn't play UDA tunes, Hoey said he told him he'd "throw his laptop across the dance floor”.
Hoey mocked the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants who perished in the back of a lorry. The racism in this is sickening — 10 of the dead were still in their teens, the youngest having lived for only 15 years, when their lives ended.
After all this behaviour was known, the DUP selected him as a candidate. When the media highlighted his obnoxious behaviour, then DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said it was "indefensible”, but he had expressed regret and "is entitled to a second chance”.
It would be incomprehensible for the DUP to run such a candidate who had praised IRA or INLA atrocities or mocked the deaths of white Ulster protestants.
Yet as recently as last February, Hoey expressed support for an image of a notorious UDA gunman. At the time, Hoey was — farcically — a member of the local body that oversees the police. A few weeks later, the DUP chose him to be deputy mayor.
There appears to be a very crude calculation by the DUP. Keeping in with paramilitaries can be to the party's advantage. It is prepared to reward someone whose behaviour would to any reasonable person be viewed as disgusting.
The embedding of paramilitaries within certain communities is now so deep that it has become like the situation in Animal Farm where the supposedly respectable and the supposedly illegal are formlessly entwined: "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
Another inglorious week for NI's global reputation
Ivan Little, Sunday Life, June 15th, 2025
Apart from referencing Liam Neeson it can't be often that Ballymena and Los Angeles are mentioned in the same breath across the world.
But the city of angels and the city of the seven towers were vying for the horror headlines in news bulletins last week. And I'm ashamed to say that Ballymena 'won' hands down as the Californian mobs were beaten to the punch by Co Antrim's yobs who turned a community's genuine concern for the welfare of a child into inexcusable race riots.
And though they may be 5,000 miles apart, the two places were thrust into the news agendas by immigration.
In LA, protesters were initially on the streets to keep migrants IN the country and were angry at Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency's bids to arrest them. Whereas in Ballymena the troublemakers were trying to drive perfectly legal migrants OUT of town.
The spark was lit on this side of the pond by the revelation that two 14-year-old Romanian boys had been charged with attempting to rape a child.
Scores of people took part in a peaceful protest in support of the alleged victim but almost inevitably loathsome louts used the demonstration as an excuse to unleash violent mayhem. And in the twisted logic of the 'racist thuggery' as the PSNI called it, the morons showed their support for the girl by attacking women and children in their own homes.
onslaughts
The innocents fled from their besieged houses or put up posters declaring their ethnicity in the hope that the rioters would spare them from their onslaughts.
The admittedly under-resourced PSNI who seemed to be wrongfooted by the ferocity of the violence in Ballymena and other loyalist areas which injured dozens of officers said there could be no justification for the violence.
But within hours some politicians and community leaders who condemned the trouble were adding that dreadful word 'but' to their denunciations, claiming that concerns about immigration in Ballymena had made it a powder-keg waiting to explode.
Before long youthful rioters, dressed head to toe in black, had jumped on the bandwagon in other parts of Northern Ireland, with the most serious incident coming at Larne Leisure Centre where some Ballymena migrants had been given a temporary place of sanctuary.
DUP Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was accused of revealing their Larne location on Facebook but he said he was trying to calm the situation by saying “these individuals” were already gone. Not that the rabble rousers would have taken the time to read all of his messages anyway on social media whose evil potential was again demonstrated as new lows were plummeted with the specific targeting of vulnerable people and the arranging of protests and riot-tours.
Quite remarkable images of the gangs going about their business of setting Larne Leisure Centre on fire were broadcast on the BBC who scandalously called the attackers 'protesters' and followed what I think is the ludicrous practice of blurring the faces of those rioters who weren't masked. Back in Ballymena as the PSNI called in support from Scotland, the trouble went on and the irony dawned on me that the attacks on the migrants' homes were largely centred on the Harryville area.
And that's where loyalists organised weekly pickets in the 90s outside the local Catholic church as a 'protest' against moves to stop the loyal orders marching through places like Dunloy.
Reporting on the demonstrations was often depressing as the gatherings of jeering, cat-calling crowds turned to rioting, drawing comparisons with what has been happening lately in the same area.
minority haters
Now, however, it appears that a new generation have grown up hating ethnic minorities instead of (and probably as well as) the 'old' Catholic minority.
Meanwhile, over in the States the anticipated meltdown in Los Angeles was met by Donald Trump sending in thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of US Marines to keep the lid on protests against the president's ramped-up immigration enforcement.
California governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of being a “stone-cold liar” and overstepping his authority as well as stoking tensions with a deployment which wasn't necessary. Trump said his actions had “saved” Los Angeles which would have been destroyed if it hadn't been for him. Bully for the bully.
Disappeared probe chief ready to work with ex-provos
Ali Bracken, Sunday Life, June 15th, 2025
FRESH PUSH TO FIND REMAINS OF PEOPLE MURDERED BY THE IRA NEW LEAD INVESTIGATOR SAYS HE'LL SEEK HELP FROM FORMER TERRORISTS IN BID TO GIVE FAMILIES CLOSURE
Former IRA members will be the focus of a new bid to recover the remaining four bodies of the Disappeared, who were killed and secretly buried during the Troubles.
It will be led former garda detective inspector Eamonn Henry, who previously worked on cold-case murders and who has been appointed lead investigator of the Disappeared Commission.
His appointment to the position is the first time a former member of An Garda Siochana has taken up the role.
Mr Henry, who was previously attached to the Garda's serious crime review team, commonly known as the cold-case unit, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the commission.
It was established to find the remains of 17 people believed to have been abducted, murdered and secretly buried by republican terrorists during the Troubles.
Since the commission was established in 1999 by the Irish and the British governments, the remains of 14 victims have been recovered.
The bodies of Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac (below) and Seamus Maguire remain missing, but Mr Henry said he was determined to give their families closure.
He told today's Sunday Independent: “We will seek the assistance of republican paramilitary organisations in existence at the time when these four people disappeared.
secrets
“The families involved, they know that their loved ones have been killed. They are under no illusions.
“Those of us working on the commission, we feel the families' pain and anguish.
“The important thing for people to bear in mind is the confidentiality of the commission.
“Under law, we cannot share any information passed on to us with law enforcement.
“Legislation was brought in that ensures that information given to us cannot be used against people. That confidentially has never and would never be breached.
“People can come forward to us in confidence, knowing any information they provide about the location of any of the four victims remains, that cannot be shared with any police agency.
“It has worked to date. It has been a successful tactic. We are not out to reveal the secrets of any paramilitary organisations. We are only interested in the locations.”
Mr Henry (61), from Athy in Co Kildare, served in An Garda Siochana for 30 years.
He spent 12 of these years in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which includes the cold-case unit.
For four years, he worked as garda liaison officer with the Disappeared Commission, joining its investigation team in 2023.
Since his recent promotion, Mr Henry has met with the families of the four men whose cases he is determined to advance.
He has ordered a root-and-branch review of the disappearance of each of the victims, some of whose stories featured in recent Disney+ series Say Nothing.
“I recently met with each of the four families of the Disappeared. I gave them a presentation and outlined my strategy (of) how I intend to try and progress each investigation,” he said.
“We are conducting a review of each case. We are going back to the start in each case to ensure that nothing was missed.”
Mr Henry said he and every member of the commission had huge empathy for bereaved families who still had no resting place for their loved ones.
He continued: “We have a great relationship built up with the families. They have been put through a huge amount of pain. We feel their pain and anguish now, and I am passionate about this work and finding the remains of the four remaining victims.
“Not until all of the 17 people are found will the work of this commission cease.”
Mr Henry appealed directly to people who were involved in the burials, or have any information about them, to consult their conscience and come forward.
“There are people out there with information. If they come forward to us, confidentially, it could help ease their conscience,” he said.
“Some of the people involved, they may have mellowed with time. Their attitudes could now be more conciliatory. Fifty years has given people a long time to think. We are asking for their help.
“Time can be our enemy because some people with information have passed away, but there are people out there with information who can help us help these bereaved families.”
The Disappeared Commission carried out an exhumation at a cemetery in Monaghan in November last year in an effort to locate the remains of Joe Lynskey, but the DNA results did not match.
In a fresh twist last month, fragments of human remains were found at another site in Annyalla Cemetery. They are currently undergoing testing.
A former Cistercian monk from west Belfast, Mr Lynskey later joined the IRA. He went missing in 1972, and republicans have claimed he was “executed and buried” by the IRA.
In November 2023, a sixth search for the remains of Columba McVeigh ended.
Mr McVeigh, from Donaghmore, in Co Tyrone, was 19 years old when he disappeared in 1975. His family has strongly rejected IRA claims that he was an informer.
In October last year, a search near Dundalk in Co Louth for the remains of Captain Robert Nairac, who was murdered and secretly buried by the IRA in 1977, came to an end.
undercover
Capt Nairac, who was from Gloucestershire, was abducted outside a pub in south Armagh. The 29-year-old Grenadier Guards officer had been working undercover. He was taken across the Irish border to Flurry Bridge, where he was beaten and shot dead. The location of his remains is a mystery.
The fourth remaining victim the commission has been tasked with finding is Seamus Maguire.
It was initially believed he disappeared sometime around 1973 or 1974, but it has since been established that after spending time in Manchester, he returned to Northern Ireland and was killed and secretly buried near Lurgan in 1976 aged 29.
Mr Henry took over as lead investigator from Jon Hill, who had been working for the commission since 2006.
The body was previously known as the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.
Mr Henry said his “commitment” was to the four families. He continued: “Our mission is humanitarian. Since the Good Friday Agreement, there has been a level of peace for people living together on this island. At this stage, we just need information. The families deserve that much. They deserve to be able to give their loved ones a Christian burial if they so wish, to have a place to go and to grieve.”
Anyone with information on the four cases can contact the commission on 003531 602 8655, through secretary@iclvr.ie or via ICLVR PO Box 10827 Dublin
Jackie Coulter’s daughter slams ombudsman over latest delay
Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life, June 15th, 2025
The daughter of a loyalist murdered by the UVF says she has lost all faith in the Police Ombudsman after the publication of a report into her father's death was again delayed.
The oversight body had promised to have Operation Abraham — an investigation into five killings carried out by the Shankill UVF between 1999 and 2010 — ready by the end of March.
But it has been stalled again, prompting an angry response from Tracey Coulter. Her dad Jackie Coulter, a UDA member, was shot dead by the UVF during a feud in 2000.
'cover-up'
Tracey said: “I've lost all faith in the Police Ombudsman. It's been delay after delay and cover-up after cover-up.
“Here I am, 25 years after my daddy's murder, still waiting for justice.
“The Police Ombudsman told the media the report would be published before the end of March. Three months on, there's still no sign of it.”
Tracey said she knew the identities of the UVF A Company gunman who killed her dad and the UVF boss who sanctioned the murder, and accuses both of being police informants.
She also claimed the Police Ombudsman was “running scared” of confirming there was collusion in her father's murder.
“The final report better have that word 'collusion' in it because I know that's what happened,” she said.
“Senior people in the UVF were protected from prosecution because they are working for the police and government.”
Operation Abraham could also have implications for jailed loyalist gunrunner Winkie Irvine, whose separate UVF B Company unit shot dead Craig McCausland in 2005.
There is no suggestion that Irvine was the gunman, but loyalists are eagerly anticipating what the Police Ombudsman has to say about the murder.
“Craig McCausland was an innocent young man who was targeted because he had a run-in with UVF leaders,” a UVF source told Sunday Life.
“It's widely suspected that his murder wasn't investigated properly, and it will be interesting to see if the Police Ombudsman confirms that.”
Responding to Tracey Coulter's criticisms, a Police Ombudsman spokeswoman said: “We have remained in contact with the Coulter family on the current position with regard to reporting our findings.
“We gave a detailed update most recently on June 6, explaining that the investigation outcome is now going through our quality assurance processes, including consultation with external bodies as required.”
