Police attacked during fourth night of unrest in Northern Ireland

Updated / Friday, 13 Jun 2025 06:35

Northern Correspondent

Police were attacked during a fourth consecutive night of trouble in Northern Ireland.

Disorder switched from Co Antrim to Co Armagh where rioters clashed with PSNI public order units in Portadown.

It followed an anti-immigration rally in the town centre which was attended by hundreds of people that had passed off without incident.

A police helicopter hovered low over the town centre during a large security operation. But as people left town after the demonstration, some clashed with police.

Masonry was thrown at officers and there was a number of arrests.

By contrast, Ballymena, the focus of much of the trouble earlier this week, appeared to be relatively quiet.

Last night 80 police officers from Police Scotland arrived in Northern Ireland. They were called in under a mechanism called Mutual Aid which allows UK police forces to support one another.

The Scottish police officers will fill in to allow PSNI officers to get some rest.

So far, 41 PSNI officers have been injured and there has been 15 arrests.

More arrests have been promised as police trawl CCTV and social media footage.

Yesterday a judge warned those convicted of offences should expect to be dealt with “robustly” by the courts.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher had said he wants to see lengthy custodial sentences as a deterrent.

Mr Boutcher has warned that the cost of policing the rioting could run to several million pounds if it were to continue for much longer.

He said that was money that would have to come from public finances.