Beyond the Spark II: Crisis and Continuity is a new report by Dr Colm Walsh (Queen’s University Belfast), examining the conditions that contributed to the Ballymena riots of June 2025 and the lessons for preventing future episodes of collective violence.
Building on the original Beyond the Spark research, the study explores the experiences of young people and policing leaders, highlighting how factors such as deprivation, mistrust, social media amplification, community tensions and limited opportunities can combine to create environments vulnerable to unrest. The report, commissioned through the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC), identifies the importance of trusted relationships, youth services and strong community infrastructure in strengthening resilience and preventing future harm.
Dr Walsh said: “The central lesson from Ballymena is not that communities need stronger responses after violence occurs. Rather, they need stronger protective ecosystems before violence emerges.”
The full report is available to download here.
