LONDON 

A fourth consecutive night of violence has plunged Northern Ireland into crisis, as anti-immigrant rioters once again attacked police, throwing bricks and masonry.

The unrest, triggered by the arrest of two local teenage boys in connection with an alleged sexual assault earlier this week, continued on Thursday night.

A crowd threw bricks and masonry at officers in Portadown, County Armagh amid a heavy police presence. Some 400 protesters reportedly gathered in the area.

More than 40 police officers have been injured since the beginning of the unrest on Monday night in Ballymena, while 15 people have been arrested.

Most recently, the Northern Ireland Police Service said a 30-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of riot.

Immigrant communities, particularly from the Philippines and Eastern Europe, have reported threats, vandalism, and displacement during the disorder, and some families have boarded up homes or displayed national flags to deter attackers.

Arson attack at house in Coleraine

Meanwhile, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) issued a statement on Friday, stating that they received a report of a fire at the rear of a property in the Mount Street area of Coleraine around 3 am local time (0222GMT).

The statement said the house did not catch fire after an oil tank at the back of the property was set alight, just causing damage to the outside of the property. However, the house was filled with smoke.

Immigrant communities, particularly from the Philippines and Eastern Europe, have reported threats, vandalism, and displacement during the disorder, and some families have boarded up homes or displayed national flags to deter attackers.

The unrest was triggered by public anger following the arrest of two local 14-year-old boys in connection with the alleged June 7 sexual assault of a teenage girl in Ballymena’s Clonavon Terrace area.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly issued a joint condemnation, calling the attacks “orchestrated racist thuggery.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also urged calm and support for the justice process.

Community groups and civic leaders are working to support displaced families and ease tensions as the region remains on edge.