Earlier this month, there were several nights of violent disorder in towns across Northern Ireland. Violence flared in Ballymena on Monday evening after a peaceful protest in response to news that two 14-year-old Romanian youths had been charged with an alleged sexual assault on a teenage girl in the area.

Businesses and homes were attacked in violence that PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher called "absolutely race-motivated". Many people from minority ethnic backgrounds resorted to putting Union Flags on their doors to avoid being targeted by rioters. The violence was condemned by politicians from across the political divide, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemning the Ballymena violence as “pure racism”.

As we saw with the Southport riots last August, there has been much discussion about the role of social media in fuelling racist violence. Loyalist groups like the Ballymena Reaction Group and........

© Herald Scotland