It Was Racist' Calm Follows Riots That Drove Families Out Of Ballymena

Since Ballymena erupted in three nights of anti-migrant riots last month, tranquility has returned to the County Antrim town. The rioters, after all, got what they wanted.

- Rory Carroll

Since Ballymena erupted in three nights of anti-migrant riots last month, tranquility has returned to the County Antrim town. The rioters, after all, got what they wanted. Dozens of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma families who fled have not returned, and those that remain keep a low profile; they do not linger on the streets.

The mobs that smashed windows, burned houses, and battled police in order to expel the Roma – and some other foreigners – from this corner of Northern Ireland consider it a victory.

"That's them away back home. Everybody is relieved," said Leanne Williamson, 42, who witnessed and endorsed the unrest. "It was madness but it was long overdue. The Romanians were ignorant and cheeky. Everyone now is at peace."

In the main flashpoint – Clonavon Terrace and adjoining streets – houses that were torched remain boarded up. There is no sign of the Roma families who inhabited them. There are no official figures, but one source with ties to the community estimated that of the approximate pre-riot population of 1,200, two-thirds have gone or, to use a loaded term, have been ethnically cleansed.