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Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Slurry incident before Ballymena Pride parade helped ‘galvanise support'
Police are treating the incident, which happened overnight on Friday into Saturday, as a hate crime. A 20-year-old man was arrested on Sunday as part of the police investigation into the incident. He was released on bail the following morning. A 19-year-old man was also arrested and charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday. The parade went ahead on Saturday afternoon, with colourful scenes on the streets as hundreds of people took part. Banners and rainbow flags were carried as the procession made its way through the town. A small counter-protest was also staged, with some displaying religious messages on placards. Scott Cuthbertson, chief executive of The Rainbow Project, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster that the incident had 'helped galvanise support' for the event. 'Firstly obviously I was a little bit concerned, I went to the site and I saw all the local businesses trying to clean up the mess, and I realised it was a very sad and disgusting event, but actually it wasn't going to put a dampener on things,' he said. 'As I've said earlier I think it helped galvanise support for that Pride event. "To see all the people on the streets of Ballymena celebrating, having a good time, enjoying themselves but also talking about the issues of diversity and inclusion in the town was really important.' Mr Cuthbertson added that it was important the parade went ahead, marking Ballymena's first Pride event. 'There are LGBTQIA+ people in every single part of Northern Ireland so to have a Ballymena pride is important just to show the young people that are growing up there that these issues are important, that everybody gets to be visible, and open about who they are where they live,' he said. Mr Cuthbertson said that organisers of the event had taken time to engage with the local community ahead of the event. He added: 'I'm certainly looking forward to attending next year if they decide to run another one, and there are bigger issues at play here. 'This is about a celebration of cultures and identities, wherever you live in Northern Ireland, and whoever you are.' News Catch Up - June 30th 2025 He added that many who hadn't originally planned to take part in the parade changed their minds after the incident. 'And that was supported by the local community who came out in the thousands,' he said. "It was a really amazing atmosphere walking through the streets with everybody waving their flags, everyone in rainbow colours and there was just a lot of vibrancy and excitement through the town. 'I spoke to young people and older people alike. We had one gentleman talk about how he grew up in Ballymena but he didn't get to grow up gay because it was never a place that he felt he could come out, and all these years later to be able to celebrate who he was in his won town was really quite something.'
Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mum distraught to find 'metal screw' in son's baby food and says it made him ill
An Irish mum was left aghast after discovering a 'metal screw' in a jar of baby food she was giving to her young son. The Lisburn-based mother, known as Kelly, was gobsmacked to find the foreign object in a jar of Heinz baby food purchased from her local Tesco. While Tesco has expressed uncertainty about how the item got into the jar, Heinz insists it didn't come from their factory. Chatting on The Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday, Kelly recounted how she had picked up the Heinz By Nature Spaghetti Bolognese toddler meal from her nearby Tesco for her one year old son Reuben. She had already fed him half the jar before stumbling upon the "absolutely terrifying" discovery of a sharp piece concealed within the meal. "When I was putting it (the food) out, a rivet or nail type item, clearly metal, fell out of the jar. It seemed to be lightweight and light in colour. I'm no metal expert but my guess would be that it's an aluminium rivet and about the size of your thumbnail. "I was completely shocked and didn't know what to think. I called my partner in and we stood there looking at it. We didn't know what to do. I think the worst bit was that these jars keep and I had already fed the baby half of that jar the day before. That was the frightening part about it, it was the second half of the jar that I found the rivet in," reports Belfast Live. "Obviously there's two issues when you find something in a jar of baby food. The main one is the choking hazard when babies are only learning how to chew and how to manage different foods. As an adult we would know to spit that out but babies don't know that so if there's metal in there they'd easily swallow that, choke on it or it'd cause all sorts of issues with its insides. I'm just grateful that I did see it before it was fed to him." Kelly wasted no time getting in touch with Heinz, and they were quick to respond, offering a letter and a £10 (€12) voucher as "a sincere gesture". Explaining further, she recounted, "They (Heinz) were very good at the start and obviously concerned about it. They sent out a package for me to return the piece of metal and the jar lid. Apparently that's how they trace the batch. That came out very quickly in the first class post and returned for them to investigate it. They came back with a letter, again that was very quick, with the outcome of it." However, Kelly expressed dissatisfaction with their response: "They said they'd given the matter their careful attention and consideration that the item is metal (which was obvious) but regrettably we cannot come to any definitive conclusion on its source. "Our processes include powerful magnets and metal detectors and we cannot explain how this issue came to be associated with our product. So there's no outcome and to me that hasn't been investigated properly. There's no mention in the letter of them doing a batch recall, which was the part that concerned me most. "If something has gone wrong in that batch room machinery and there were rivets falling off into the food, in my opinion that whole batch should be recalled. Whether they've done that and not mentioned it in the letter, I don't know. And there's nothing in Tesco to say there's been a recall so to my knowledge it's not being recalled." Kelly says she had to take Reuben to hospital two days later due to a rash all over his body: "It sounds silly now but at the time I didn't associate it with that and now looking back, it could potentially be due to some contamination from that metal. We don't know and we'll never know now." At this stage it is not known how the nail found its way into the product or if this was an isolated incident and similar items have been found in any other products. "That's not enough for me - if you don't know then production needs to stop until you do know. This is metal in baby food," Kelly added. "And for me this was never about money, compensation or anything like that. It literally was a concern and when they came back to say 'here's a voucher', it was for £10 and that's what Heinz valued this incident as. "To me that outraged me, it's insulting, my son could have choked on this and they valued that incident with £10 - would that even get you two bottles of brown sauce because nobody in their right mind would buy any more baby food off them?". After being unimpressed with Heinz's approach, Kelly reached out to Tesco, who explained they couldn't look into the issue as she didn't have the metal shard anymore, having sent it back to Heinz already. Heinz has not yet made a statement regarding the matter. Meanwhile, a Tesco representative shared: "We were sorry to hear about this customer's experience with a Heinz product. We work closely with branded suppliers to ensure that they have robust quality procedures in place and are in ongoing conversations with the supplier about the outcome of their investigation."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Sinister' atmosphere as leisure centre attacked during NI rioting
A man who was inside a leisure centre during violent disorder on Wednesday night has spoken of the fear among customers and staff. Northern Ireland Assembly Member Danny Donnelly said Larne Leisure Centre was being used by families and children for swimming and classes at the time of attack. On Wednesday night, masked youths attacked the leisure centre and set it on fire. The centre had been providing emergency shelter for families following the clashes in Ballymena, the council said. Donnelly said there was "clearly a malicious attempt developing" as masked youths gathered outside the centre carrying bricks. "It was very, very sinister, the atmosphere certainly felt to me very, very threatening," he added. "The staff made sure people were getting out and getting to their cars safely," he said. "They were managing the door of the premises to make sure, that despite repeated attempts to get in - people who were... in masks and things - were not accessing the property," Donnelly took BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme. "It became more and more sinister, and it became more and more obvious that there was a malicious intent, you know, you don't come to a peaceful protest with a mask and bricks." He said as people and children become "fearful" staff helped people "to leave via the side doors and get to their cars safely". "There was a brick that came through the window while there were women doing a class, so on the floor on yoga matts. "And a brick came, quite a large brick, came flying through the window, thankfully nobody was hurt but as you can imagine there was glass everywhere and the women had to get up and leave," he said. Donnelly said it quickly became violent and the windows of the leisure centre were "systematically being put in". He added that there was paint being thrown over fire doors and described it as a "sustained attack" on the building. "They were already throwing bricks at the police as well," he said. "Now at that point as the glass was coming in around them, the staff then left through the back door, very fearful for their own safety". Donnelly has appealed for calm across Northern Ireland. "Larne doesn't need this, Northern Ireland doesn't need this, no town needs this," he said. "We've lost services at our leisure centre, the staff were incredibly shocked and frightened. Families were in sight of this last night." Donnolly was among a number of elected representatives criticising a Stormont minister over a social media post about the location of migrant families who left their homes hours before the centre was attacked. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons of the Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) said that people caught up in clashes in Ballymena were being temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre. Sinn Féin Finance Minister John O'Dowd claimed Lyons "failed to show leadership". Donnelly said: "I thought it was incredibly reckless and dangerous to highlight the location of where these people were being kept and brought to a place of safety." "If I was the Minister, I would certainly be considering my position," he added. Lyons has defended his comments saying the information was in the public domain, and had been confirmed by the local council. How a peaceful protest descended into hate-filled violence Seventeen police officers injured during second night of Ballymena violence Ballymena violence 'pure racism' and must stop - O'Neill Minister refuses to resign over 'reckless' Facebook post
Belfast Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Six arrests made as trouble spreads across NI on second night of Ballymena violence
Follow our live blog here for further updates throughout Wednesday Police and senior political figures led condemnation of the trouble. Calm was restored to the Ballymena area after 1am this morning. The violence had broken out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at PSNI officers and police vehicles. Homes and businesses were also attacked. During the disorder, a water cannon was deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds, with officers also discharging baton rounds. Around 300 protestors had gathered in the area, close to where an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl took place at the weekend. Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus while a car was set alight in north Belfast. Police said 17 officers were injured in the latest trouble, bringing the total number of injured officers over the two nights of violence to 33. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the O'Neill Road in Newtownabbey. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she was 'dismayed" by the unfolding events. 'Violence is always wrong. I have been in constant contact throughout last night with PSNI and in contact with local elected representatives,' she said. "This disorder and violence must stop and justice be allowed to prevail.' Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster Programme Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation, condemned the trouble that broke out over the last two nights. "I want to condemn again what has happened the last couple of nights not only in Ballymena but, as we've seen, extended into other areas as well,' he said. "It's completely deplorable that this is happening. We need these attacks to stop, and stop very quickly.' Also speaking on the show, North Antrim MLA Paul Frew voiced fears that the violence would continue. 'I fear that if this continues, someone is going to get killed,' he said. Speaking earlier, Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland described the trouble as 'unacceptable'. 'It's deeply shocking and very disappointing and I have to say it's entirely unacceptable. This violence doesn't speak for Ballymena,' she said. Ms Mulholland said that the unrest distracted from the 'really serious issue' of violence against women and girls. She added: 'That's what we should be talking about, we should be talking about how to make our society safer for women, not how to manage the fallout of violence and intimidation. "It was just really disturbing, and deeply, deeply worrying.' Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: 'The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. "These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection." "As with any serious offenders in Northern Ireland, we will pursue those responsible and bring them to justice. "We will now begin our investigation of reviewing all evidence gathered, including video footage, and Images of the individuals involved will be released to identify offenders.' He added: 'Do not throw away your future and do not continue to endanger or intimidate the lives of others.' Yesterday, Translink suspended bus services in several areas of Belfast due to protests. Services on the Shore Road in north Belfast were at a standstill due to protestors blocking roadways along bus routes. Bus services along the Ravenhill Road between the east and south of the city were also diverted towards the Ormeau Embankment due to demonstrations, while there was disruption to services in the Shankill Road area. Protestors had also blocked roads at Carlisle Circus. It's understood a crowd of around 50 gathered at the area holding placards saying: 'Protect Our Children.' Police will release a further update later this morning. In Ballymena, some residents marked doors to display their nationality while two water cannons were also at the scene of the ongoing 'serious disorder.' At least four armoured vehicles were deployed in the Clonavon area as masked youths attacked officers. Some Filipino workers in the area began putting stickers on their doors that declared their nationality, in an apparent bid to avoid attack. Some people also displayed Union flags, or hung them in windows. Petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were among the missiles thrown at police. A PSNI spokesperson last night said the incident escalated to 'serious disorder'. 'Police are currently dealing with serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena this evening,' they said. "Members of the public should avoid the area.' A peaceful vigil on Monday to support the girl and her family was followed by serious trouble. Two boys, both 14, were arrested and later charged with the attempted oral rape of the girl on June 7. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. Monday evening's violence resulted in 15 police officers suffering injuries with four homes in the area being set alight. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during the disorder in Ballymena on Monday night
Belfast Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Four arrests made after car torched as disorder spreads to other areas of NI on second night of Ballymena violence
A further 17 police officers were injured following attacks by what has been called 'a baying mob with fireworks, masonry and petrol bombs'. None of those officers were hospitalised but it brings the number of injured officers across two nights of violence to 33. Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation for NI, said: "I want to condemn again what has happened the last couple of nights not only in Ballymena but, as we've seen, extended into other areas as well. It's completely deplorable that this is happening. We need these attacks to stop, and stop very quickly.' Calm was restored to the Ballymena area after 1am. Disorder broke out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at police officers and police vehicles. A number of homes and businesses were also attacked. During the disorder, a water cannon was deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds, with officers also discharging a number of baton rounds. Around 300 protestors had gathered in the area, close to where an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl took place. Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus while a car was set alight in north Belfast. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster Programme, Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland described the incident as 'unacceptable'. 'It's deeply shocking and very disappointing and I have to say it's entirely unacceptable. This violence doesn't speak for Ballymena,' she said. Mulholland said that the unrest distracted from the 'really serious issue' of violence against women and girls. She added: 'That's what we should be talking about, we should be talking about how to make our society safer for women, not how to manage the fallout of violence and intimidation. "It was just really disturbing, and deeply, deeply worrying.' Police in Newtownabbey said last night: 'Following a protest at Cloughfern, colleagues are aware of a group of young people who appear intent on engaging in some form of disorder. "So that we can avoid any allegation that we target local young people and attempt to criminalise them, I would ask for some assistance from friends, family or anyone with influence to help us protect these young people by diverting them away from the area and help us dispose of the fireworks to which they have gained access.' Translink suspended bus services in several areas of Belfast due to protests. Services on the Shore Road in north Belfast were at a standstill due to protestors blocking roadways along bus routes. Bus services along the Ravenhill Road between the east and south of the city were also diverted towards the Ormeau Embankment due to demonstrations, while there was disruption to services in the Shankill Road area. Protestors had also blocked roads at Carlisle Circus. It's understood a crowd of around 50 gathered at the area holding placards saying: 'Protect Our Children.' Police will release a further update later this morning. In Ballymena, some residents marked doors to display their nationality while two water cannons were also at the scene of the ongoing 'serious disorder.' At least four armoured vehicles were deployed in the Clonavon area as masked youths attacked officers. Some Filipino workers in the area began putting stickers on their doors that declared their nationality, in an apparent bid to avoid attack. Some people also displayed Union flags, or hung them in windows. Petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were among the missiles thrown at police. A PSNI spokesperson last night said the incident escalated to 'serious disorder'. 'Police are currently dealing with serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena this evening,' they said. "Members of the public should avoid the area.' A peaceful vigil on Monday to support the girl and her family was followed by serious trouble. Two boys, both 14, were arrested and later charged with the attempted oral rape of the girl on June 7. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. Monday evening's violence resulted in 15 police officers suffering injuries with four homes in the area being set alight. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during the disorder in Ballymena on Monday night
