Ballymena riots and the online forces at play

11/06/2025 28 min Episodio 1
Ballymena riots and the online forces at play

Listen "Ballymena riots and the online forces at play"

Episode Synopsis

There have been calls for calm following two nights of riots that saw 32 PSNI officers injured. The riots started out as a protest on Monday night linked to an alleged sexual assault.Two teenagers have since appeared in court charged with attempted rape, while on the streets cars have been set on fire, houses have been targeted, and water cannons have been deployed. Many of those targeted are migrants living in the area, and the police have described the rioters’ actions as “racist thuggery”. David and Fran are joined by Northern Correspondant, Conor McAuley who on the ground during the riots and by Ciaran O'Connor, Senior Analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, who outlines how far right online figures have turned their attention to Ballymena and the influence it's having. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.