Two charged with assault over boat flag row

Image source, McAuley Multimedia Ltd

Two men have been charged after an assault outside a boat club in Portballintrae in County Antrim have been released on bail.

The incident is alleged to have happened on Beach Road at 19:45 BST on Monday.

Police had said the fight broke out over a flag on a boat which was later extensively damaged in a fire.

The men, aged 62 and 63, have been charged with offences including disorderly behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and theft.

They are both expected to appear before Coleraine Magistrates' Court on 1 July, 2024.

Police say they received a report of an altercation between a number of men in the pier area concerning a flag that was displayed on a boat.

One man required hospital treatment after what police say was a 鈥渟ectarian-motivated hate crime鈥.

It is understood the flag was an Irish tricolour.