Amid escalating violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, immigrant families are using flags and stickers on their homes as desperate measures to signal their non-threatening status to a mob targeting foreigners. Over recent days, rioters have attacked homes and businesses, prompting residents to choose between fleeing or hunkering down. Accounts from Polish and Czech immigrants illustrate the fear they face, as many remain uncertain whether the unrest will cease or spread, while calls for calm issued by local politicians highlight the community's turmoil and disturbance.
"We put it up yesterday," said Blanka Harnagea, an immigrant from the Czech Republic, indicating the British flag on her living room window. Was it working? A wry smile. We're still here."
The crowd was banging on the door and we were all upstairs," said David, a 28-year-old Polish man who withheld his surname. The mob smashed windows and set fire to the living room.
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