A young immigrant whose home in south Belfast was attacked does not know whether he feels safe to stay in the area.
Abdullah Almasri was in the house off Donegal Pass when bricks were thrown through his front window late on Wednesday evening.
Mr Almasri was unhurt physically but shaken following the attack on the Lindsay Way property shortly before 10pm, which police are treating as a racially-motivated hate crime.
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Almasri said: “Northern Ireland, it’s a beautiful place. Not all people are the same because you have bad people and good people.” But he does believe his life was at risk.
In the front room with the window still boarded up, the young immigrant added that it is hard living in the area around Donegall Pass and hard to stay.
Mr Almasri, originally from Lebanon who has lived in the north for last even months, said he was feeling fine living in the area until the attack but that has changed his thinking. He is not sure what tomorrow will bring and whether he will stay in the area.
The young man has no family in the north but he is “just hoping to get a new place”. One resident described Lindsay Way as a “very quiet street”.
“The racially-motivated attack was described as “deeply disappointing” by one local representative after days of relative calm in the city.
Police were alerted after officers were flagged down in the area by an individual who reported the attack.
“Luckily, the resident who was inside at the time wasn’t injured but has been left shaken by their ordeal,” the PSNI said.
“This type of act is unacceptable and we are treating this as a racially motivated hate crime.” Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the attack to make contact or provide Crimestoppers with information. Detectives are also looking for any CCTV or other footage.
SDLP Botanic councillor Gary McKeown, in a statement, said that “after a few days of relative calm in our city it’s deeply disappointing to see another racist attack on a home in south Belfast”.
“Far too many members of our community are terrified after what has happened recently, and the ongoing pattern of intimidation that has been going on for years,” Mr McKeown added.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure. Those behind this attack have no support. We need to see clear and unequivocal condemnation of this attack and others like it, with no qualification or excuses.”
