In a chilling wave of anti-immigrant violence, Filipino families in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, have been forced to flee their homes after masked rioters targeted them during two consecutive nights of chaos. What started as a local criminal case quickly spiraled into racially charged violence, leaving the town shaken and its migrant community in fear.
Michael Sancio, 27, who works at a bus manufacturing company, described the terrifying moment masked men banged on his windows at midnight. “I panicked because I have a daughter inside the house,” he told reporters. Fearing for their safety, Sancio, his wife, daughter, and another Filipino couple sharing the home grabbed their passports and fled to a friend’s place for the night.
The attacks included smashed windows, a car set on fire, and bins torched outside homes. Rioters flooded the streets of Ballymena—a town of 30,000—throwing objects, clashing with police, and damaging property. Authorities are now investigating these incidents as hate crimes.
This violent outbreak followed the arrest of two 14-year-old boys accused of a serious sexual assault. Though the suspects—who reportedly needed Romanian interpreters in court—denied the charges, the incident sparked a misplaced and dangerous backlash toward migrants in the area.
Despite assurances from the masked attackers that Filipinos were not the intended targets, many Filipino residents no longer feel safe. “We feel extreme fear,” said Michael Asuro, another resident who was forced out of his home along with his wife, Jessa Sagarit. The couple now live in a caravan after being evacuated by a local church.
Filipino households across the town are now posting stickers bearing both British and Filipino flags with messages reading “Filipino lives here” in an attempt to avoid being mistaken for other migrant groups. Union Jack flags have also become more prominent in local homes, with some residents using them to signal they are “local.”
According to government statistics, 6% of Northern Ireland’s population is foreign-born, though Ballymena’s share is closer to the UK average of 16%, with a sizeable Filipino presence.
Traditionally welcoming to migrants, Northern Ireland has seen growing tensions in recent years. Violent anti-immigration protests also erupted in Belfast last year and in Dublin in late 2023 following high-profile crimes involving migrants.
Local lawmaker Sian Mulholland of the Alliance Party revealed that many migrant families had barricaded themselves inside their homes until 2:30 a.m. out of fear. “Some of these homes aren’t even fit for people to live in,” she added, emphasizing the already harsh conditions these families endure.
As Ballymena residents board up shattered windows and brace for potential further violence, many Filipino families are questioning their future in the town.
“Is it still safe for us here?” one resident asked. That remains unclear, but one thing is certain—the fear is real, and it is growing.
