Bulgarian mother leaving Ballymena ‘to save my children’ from attacks

A mother of two from Bulgaria has said she is leaving Northern Ireland after an attack on her home in Ballymena, County Antrim.

Protesters threw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police and damaged a number of properties during another night of disorder in the town on Tuesday.

“It’s making me move from here to save my children, to not have any depression, any memory in the future for this,” Mika Kolev told BBC News NI.

“We know what’s going to happen. It’s not possible to wait to see what’s going to happen.”

On Tuesday night, rioters broke into her house and caused significant damage.

Her family had left the house before the incident – fearing for their safety – and watched live streams of disorder in the area on TikTok.

“We don’t have anything inside – the TV, sofa, table, everything we have [is destroyed],” she said.

“My children are scared.”

Mika and her partner, who have a 15-year-old son and six-year-old daughter, moved to Northern Ireland a decade ago.

“We never made any problems,” she said.

“If someone from Bulgaria or Romania makes a problem, just go to them and face the problem, not to everyone. Not everybody is a problem in this country.

“We have been here for 10 years and we have worked and paid rent for 10 years, gone to school normally, we never make a problem.”

Violence first erupted on Monday following a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault of a girl in the town over the weekend.

Two teenage boys have been charged and spoke through a Romanian interpreter in court to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges.

Crowds have been gathering in the Clonavon Terrace area, where the alleged assault took place.

Police have described the violent disorder as “racist thuggery”.

In response to the violence some families have put posters with their nationalities on the front door in a bid to prevent their homes from being attacked.

Mika said: “I pay rent, this is my house. I feel like this is my country, my city. I work, I live here.

“My daughter was born at this house, she is happy at school and loves music from here.

“She plays here, has a passport for here – she’s scared.

“I have to stop them [her children] from school, I have to stop work, because we are moving. It’s not possible to stay here.

“Is everyone happy? What they want has happened.”