Three teenagers have been remanded in custody charged with rioting offences following recent violence in Ballymena after magistrates’ court appearances on Thursday.
Meanwhile, two other teenage boys who were arrested during the disorder have been released on bail to allow for further police inquiries.
Police in Northern Ireland confirmed they have arrested 15 people and charged four people in total in connection with ongoing disorder.
The police condemned a third consecutive night of “completely unacceptable” disorder on Thursday morning.
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The violence began around Clonavon Terrace on Monday night following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged.
The PSNI said that on Wednesday night in Ballymena their officers came under sustained attack with multiple petrol bombs, a hatchet, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown at them.
Officers responded with water cannon, dogs and plastic baton rounds in an attempt to disperse crowds in the town.
Nine officers were injured, while two men, aged in their 20s, and one in their 30s, along with two teenagers, were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and other offences in connection with the disorder on Wednesday.
Police said officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles (AEPs) and the water cannon was deployed once again in an attempt to disperse and calm crowds.
Police also responded to an attack on the local leisure centre in Larne.
Masked protesters blocked local roads in the Marine Highway area of Carrickfergus, a teenager was arrested in Newtownabbey following disorder in the Station Road area and in Coleraine, a bus was attacked, bins were set alight on the train tracks and petrol bombs were thrown at police.
They added that associated protests passed without incident in the Antrim and Lisburn areas, and there were mainly peaceful protests in Belfast.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said there was a significant policing operation on Wednesday night.
“What we witnessed last night has caused fear and huge disruption within our communities, including to our local transport network and community services,” he said.
“Police officers came under attack from petrol bombs, fireworks and heavy masonry.
“A hatchet was also thrown at police lines during this disorder in a clear attempt to seriously injure our officers, and I thank them once again for their continued efforts putting themselves on the line keeping our streets safe.
“We made six arrests last night during this disorder and more will follow. We are working hard to identify all those responsible in this criminal disorder, and those involved will be dealt with using the full force of the law.”
Earlier, Northern Secretary Hilary Benn described scenes as “shocking”, adding there is “absolutely no justification for civil disorder”.
He told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme: “This not what Northern Ireland is about, this is not what we want the rest of the world to see.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he is “genuinely very saddened and horrified” by the attacks that have been made on foreigners in Ballymena and elsewhere in Northern Ireland in recent days.
“That people should be attacked in such a manner, such violence should manifest itself in the way it has, it’s a sad day,” Mr Martin told journalists on Thursday.
“I would appeal to all involved to desist, to back off, to allow people to live in peace and in harmony, irrespective of creed or colour, race and ethnicity. We are a multicultural world, and this is a regressive, backward approach.”
The level of hostility that has been displayed in Ballymena, where homes have been burned, or their windows and doors kicked has not been “experienced for some time”, Mr Martin went on.
Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long said it has been a “three-day festival of hate and destruction” that must stop before someone loses their life.
She said she will be seeking additional funding for the PSNI in the June Monitoring Round.
She also commended the PSNI for seeking support through a mutual aid request for additional officers from Great Britain.
The Larne leisure centre had temporarily been used as an emergency shelter for those in need following disturbances in Ballymena.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who highlighted the use of the building in a social media post hours before the attack, said all those who had been staying at the leisure centre are in the care of the Housing Executive and have been moved out of Larne.
Mr Lyons later said he would “strongly hit back at any notion” that he had publicly revealed the facility was being used to house immigrant families who had been affected by violence in Ballymena.
SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole, the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he would refer Mr Lyons to the standards commission following the fire.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said Mr Lyons should resign over the post. The Sinn Féin vice-president said he “failed to show correct leadership” and his commentary “falls very short and very much strays into the territory of inflaming the situation”.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly told BBC Good Morning Ulster that Mr Lyons, her DUP party colleague, should “absolutely” still be in his job, and people want to see politicians united on a clear message.
Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly had on Wednesday appeared together to voice their condemnation of the riots.
In Ballymena on Wednesday night, the PSNI deployed riot police to deal with the hundreds gathered around the Clonavon Terrace area.
At least one protester was struck by plastic baton rounds fired by police, while officers also used a water cannon on the crowd, as well as dog units and drones in their response.
Riot police with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them down Bridge Street on to other roads.
They came under sustained attack as those participating in disorder hurled petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks at police vehicles and officers standing nearby.
Rioters smashed the windows of a house on North Street and set multiple fires on streets in the surrounding area.
The disorder and stand-off with police continued past midnight.
The PSNI have also noted scenes of disorder in Belfast, Lisburn, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey earlier in the week, as businesses, homes and cars were attacked and damaged.
