A Northern Ireland town has seen 2 nights of anti-immigrant violence. Why?

Police say 17 officers were injured during a second night of violence in the town of Ballymena, which began after two teenagers were arrested for an alleged sexual assault.

Police in Northern Ireland say 17 officers were injured during a second night of anti-immigrant violence in the town of Ballymena, where rioters threw bricks, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks and set several vehicles and houses on fire.

Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of several hundred people. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said Wednesday that the violence died down by about 1 a.m. local time (0000GMT).

Five people were arrested on suspicion of “riotous behavior.”

Violence erupted Monday after a peaceful march to show support for the family of the victim of an alleged sexual assault last weekend. Two 14-year-old boys have been charged.

The suspects have not been identified because of their age. They were supported in court by a Romanian interpreter.

After the march, a crowd of mostly young people set several houses on fire and pelted police with projectiles. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said 15 officers were injured that night.

There were similar scenes after dark on Tuesday, as well as small pockets of disorder in several other Northern Ireland towns.

Police said agitators on social media were helping fuel what Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson called “racist thuggery.”