Northern Ireland immigration riots: Bulgarian man too scared to return to Belfast after having windows smashed three times
A Bulgarian man who had his windows smashed three times in south Belfast says this week’s riots in the city have left him "too scared to return".
Kalin Kozinarov left Northern Ireland for Japan about seven months ago to marry his fiancee, an academic and English teacher whom he met in Belfast.
Most recently he had been living in Sandy Row but twice had his windows smashed there, with the word ‘Out’ being spray painted on his windows.
He originally came to Northern Ireland to care for his mother Maria, who later died from a type of blood cancer, and is buried in Belfast.
Watching the street violence linked to immigration protests in Belfast this week from Japan, he said he was relieved to have left NI.
“I am not coming back to Belfast, I am scared to return,” he told the News Letter. “I am now looking forward to marrying my fiancee in Japan. I am happy here without any hassle and no threats whatsoever. Northern Ireland is not a safe place.”
In 2014 he was living in Donegal Pass with his mother.
The words ‘only locals’ were spray painted on their front door and their windows were smashed.
Six months later the Housing Executive offered them an apartment on Sandy Row. His mother died from a form of blood cancer while living there.
In September last year bricks were thrown through two windows of the apartment at night.
Kalin said he was “devastated and shocked” by the attack.
Then in January his windows were once again smashed. A brick came through his front window and narrowly missed his head by about 50cm while he was sleeping. Instead it caused significant damage to his laptop.
“In Japan there is no racism and there are no protests against foreigners,” Kalin told the News Letter this week.
“When in Northern Ireland I was always living quietly and had no involvement in any crime. But the attacks on my home were a big problem.”
A Housing Executive spokeswoman confirmed it replaced four windows at the Sandy Row flat last September and offered the tenant support and alternative accommodation.
Windows were also smashed at the property last January, she said.
“We work hard with local communities to try and resolve anti-social behaviour,” she added.