Ballymena's Filipino community advised to be "vigilant" by Embassy

Filipinos are being targeted amidst the racist riots that kicked off in Ballymena, Co Antrim on Monday night, the Philippine Embassy in London said in an advisory issued on Thursday, June 12.

The Embassy said on Thursday, after three nights of disorder, that it is "deeply concerned about the racist riots in Northern Ireland, reportedly triggered by an alleged sexual assault of a young girl by two Romanian teenagers.

"Unfortunately, in the ensuing unrest, Filipinos in the area have been targeted. The vehicle of one was set on fire. It is regrettable that innocent individuals have been caught in the crossfire.

"The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant coordination with local authorities to ensure the safety and security of all Filipinos in the area."

The Embassy said on Thursday that Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. was due to travel to Northern Ireland "to assess the situation on the ground, meet the Filipino community and ensure that no one else is hurt."

The Embassy added: "We urge all Filipinos in Ballymena and the surrounding areas to be vigilant, follow the guidance of local authorities, and contact the Embassy for any urgent assistance."

The Ambassador and his team will be in Northern Ireland by Friday morning, the Embassy said on Thursday.

Disorder broke out in Ballymena on Monday night following what had begun as a peaceful vigil in the Co Antrim town.

It is understood the vigil was organized in response to an alleged rape of a teenage girl in the Clonavon Terrace area area of the town on Saturday night, June 7.

Two teenage boys - reportedly Romanian - were arrested and charged with attempted rape on Sunday.

On Monday, they appeared in Coleraine Magistrates' Court via videolink from Woodlands Juvenile Centre. They both deny the charges.

There was no application for bail, and they were both remanded in custody until July 2, when they are due to appear by videolink at the youth court at Ballymena Magistrates' Court.

"Racially-motivated hate attacks"

While Monday's vigil began as a show of support for the alleged victim, it soon gave way to what the PSNI described on Tuesday as "racially-motivated hate attacks."

Amongst Monday night's attacks, the home of Kevin Rous, who moved to Northern Ireland from the Philippines two years ago, was targeted in Cullybackey, just outside of Ballymena.

“I received a call from my wife and [she] told me there was a sudden explosion, she cried and knocked [on] the next-door neighbour’s door for help,” Rous, 27, told the Irish News. He was at work at the time of the attack.

“They rang the fire and police service, and by the time I got home 15 minutes later this car was completely burned out.”

A GoFundMe to benefit the Rous family has raised more than £9k as of Thursday evening.

'You should play fair, talk to me. What are my faults?'

Kevin Rous, a Wrightbus nightshift worker from the Philippines, had his Cullybackey home targeted during anti-immigration unrest in Ballymena last night.

His car was burnt out while his wife and two children were inside… pic.twitter.com/vy4v4lm8dm

— The Irish News (@irish_news) June 10, 2025

Multiple outlets have reported that Filipino residents around Ballymena have begun placing stickers of British and Filipino flags on their doors, with messages saying "Filipino lives here" to show they were not Romanian.

This just yards from the rioting; some residents here in Ballymena marking their doors to let them know their nationality.

Rioting continues here @BelTel pic.twitter.com/8zHxJbzsjb

— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) June 10, 2025

The unrest that began on  Monday continued - and spread - on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

"These bigots and racists will not win"

“Stop this violence," PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the media after a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday, according to the PA.

“We will come after you. We will arrest you. We will prosecute you successfully.

"It is not in any way a way for a civilised society to behave, and it must stop now."

Boutcher added: “And I want to send a very clear message to all our diverse communities: we stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with you. We are here to protect you.

“We are your police service, and these bigots and racists will not win the day. This will be policed properly.

"We will deal with this – and we all know that in this room – but let’s call an end to it now."

As of Thursday evening, 15 people had been arrested and four people had been charged in connection with the ongoing disorder in Northern Ireland.