Rioters attack police and torch houses for a second night in Northern Ireland

Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena on Tuesday, in the second successive night of disorder that followed a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town

Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena on Tuesday, in the second successive night of disorder that followed a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town.

Seventeen officers were injured, bringing to 32 the number hurt since the violence began Monday following a large protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town.

Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court that day, accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The charges were read to the teenagers via a Romanian interpreter, the BBC reported. A lawyer told the court that the two teenagers denied the charge. They were remanded in custody until July 2.

Police are investigating attacks on properties Monday that saw four houses damaged by fire as racially-motivated “hate crimes.”

An anti-immigration demonstration in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images“The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable,” Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in a statement on Wednesday.