Bulgarian family forced to leave Ballymena amidst anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland

“We know what’s going to happen. It's not possible to wait,” she said after protesters broke into her home on the evening of June 10 and caused significant damage.

Mika and her partner have a 15-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter. They came to Northern Ireland 10 years ago, have never caused any trouble, work, and their children go to school, Koleva told the media.

The protests began on June 9 after two teenagers of Romanian origin were accused of sexually assaulting a girl. Police described the violence as “racist hooliganism.” During the arson and pogroms against immigrants, some families put up posters with their nationality on their front doors to prevent attacks, the BBC reports.