Landlord says lives 'in danger' after racially motivated arson attack on vehicles used by Filipino tenants

Six vehicles were burned and destroyed outside a house on Lisnevenagh Road in Ballymena, County Antrim, in what police are treating as a racially motivated arson attack, a landlord whose tenants were inside the property said.

Sam Carson, a farmer and the landlord of the house where six Filipino workers live, told BBC News NI he fears for his tenants' safety and his own after the Sunday night attack. The tenants, who are employed by a large business nearby, were inside the property when the cars were targeted.

Carson said the residents have lived in the house for two years and had been "peaceful people, working hard." He said he had not experienced trouble until unrest in Ballymena in June and that, since then, he and his tenants had been the subject of an online hate campaign on TikTok.

"Since the riots, we've had a hate campaign on TikTok, against myself and against my tenants," Carson said. He told reporters some people in the area did not welcome foreign nationals and said the attacks had left him worried that lives were now at risk.

Police in Northern Ireland said they were treating the incident as a racially motivated hate crime and have launched an investigation. Officers attended the scene after the vehicles were set alight and inquiries are ongoing.

Local and national authorities have increasingly scrutinised tensions in towns where large groups of migrant workers live, and social media posts have been repeatedly identified as contributing to community tensions. Carson linked the online activity to the apparent targeting of his tenants, saying the campaign had intensified after disturbances in June.

The six victims were described by Carson as employees of a nearby large firm; he said they had been living at the address for about two years and had not previously experienced hostility. He called for action to protect his tenants and for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice.

Police appeals in similar incidents have encouraged anyone with information, dashcam footage or mobile phone video that could assist enquiries to come forward. Community leaders and officials have in the past urged calm and encouraged reporting of hate crimes to build a record and support investigations.

The investigation into the Ballymena attack is continuing. Further updates are expected as police progress forensic examinations and make enquiries into the origin of the fire and any links to online activity or prior disturbances in the area.