Recent riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, reveal escalating racism and xenophobia as local populations react violently against immigrant families. The unrest, captured by social media, showcased a mob determined to rid their community of perceived 'foreigners.' Despite the historic peace established by the Good Friday Agreement, demographic changes over the past two decades have fueled sentiments of invasion among some residents. No deaths were reported, but police injuries and the flight of families signal an urgent need to address underlying intolerance in a diversifying Northern Ireland.
First came the shouts as the crowd worked its way through narrow terraced streets, proclaiming its mission to rid the town of scum. Then came the shattered glass as rocks exploded through windows.
No one died in Ballymena, the County Antrim town that erupted on Monday and flared for the rest of the week, or in other towns with smaller, copycat mayhem, but families fled.
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