A teenager who was born in Pakistan but now lives in Fermanagh has described how she was spat at in Enniskillen on a night out as disorder broke out in Belfast on Saturday evening following an anti-immigration protest.

Like many 18-year-olds, the teenager wanted to spend a summer evening out with friends as they wait for their A-Level results.

However, the night out took a dark turn, as she claims she was spat at and called "a foreigner" by strangers as she walked to a bar with a friend.

Talking to The Impartial Reporter, when recalling the incident which left her terrified, the teen said: “These guys started spitting at me.

"They shouted at my friend, who's white, ‘Get away from her, get away from her, she's a foreigner', and asked me, 'Are you Indian?' and stuff like that.

"I was absolutely terrified - they were full-on grown men."

The teenager described her fear that these men would follow her and how her mind raced as she thought about what she would do if they did.

She has been subject to racist intimidation before but not like this: "People have made comments, but I've never really felt like people go out of their way to be malicious."

She continued:  “Sometimes I am talking to people and they conflate me with a terrorist, and I learn not to speak to them for the rest of the night."

However, she said she did not raise a complaint with authorities such as the PSNI, as she believes “people do not care”. 

The teenager moved to Enniskillen three years ago. She described her “despair and anxiety” at seeing people who look like her assaulted and harassed elsewhere in the UK, and closer to home, in Belfast.

She said: “I can only describe what it feels like to see someone that looks like you assaulted and harassed by mobs of angry people as a deep feeling of despair and anxiety that it is all coming for you very soon.

“Seeing images and videos of what happened in the UK was overwhelming, to wrap my head around because I couldn’t understand how people are justifying torching their cities and neighbourhoods to ‘save them from immigrants’.

"However, it’s even more distressing to see this happen in Belfast,” she told this newspaper.

Several businesses were attacked during the violence in recent days and business owners have claimed the Islamic community has been deliberately targeted.

Police are now investigating several racially motivated hate crimes, including an attack on a young boy by a group of youths.

Like others, the nineteen-year-old did not consider that such disorder could break out in Northern Ireland.

She said: “In my head, England’s problems have always existed in a completely different sphere than ours.

“Unfortunately, they don’t, and I saw people in the country that I now call home, with my family, say the most hateful things possible, and come together to launch attacks on communities that have given their blood, sweat, and tears to establish themselves in Belfast.

“While my experience of living in Enniskillen has been complicated due to a myriad of factors, my race has been at the forefront of why those complications exist.

"At first, I believed hostility from some people was just naivety from being raised in Fermanagh, where there isn’t much diversity.”

On her allegations about being called racist slurs, spat at in the street, and called “a foreigner”, she said: “It’s absolutely terrifying when that happens, because there’s nothing I can do about it.

"All the recent headlines about people who look like me being assaulted and harassed flick through my brain, and I realise how truly unwanted our presence now is.”

Warning that misinformation must be tackled before further disorder breaks out, she said: “I don’t think riots in Enniskillen is a far-fetched scenario; the mentality to make that happen is already here.

"It just depends on how we tackle misinformation and the divisive rhetoric that exists in this current era.”

Others to condemn the violence included Darragh Monahan, Chairman of the Aman Association in Enniskillen.

He said: “I condemn in no uncertain terms these vile, barbaric, criminal, and racist acts.

“Islamophobia and xenophobia, combined with blind hatred and intolerance, have no place in civilised human societies.

"Those who perpetrate such disgusting mindsets are acting senselessly, and they should really reflect on their motivations and examine their false logic and the lies and rhetoric which they have been fed.”

Mr. Monahan encouraged dialogue among parties to foster a culture of mutual understanding.

He said: “As always, here in Enniskillen, our small Muslim community lives in peace and harmony with our neighbours.

"We welcome dialogue with any parties who would like to know more about us, engage with us, or work together to help with mutual understanding and achieving a safe, peaceful life for all, acknowledging and tolerating differences.”

Mr. Monahan noted that the Aman Association has been receiving messages of support and solidarity in the wake of the disorder in the UK.

He said: “I am very heartened by those reaching out to us as a Muslim organisation with messages of support and solidarity.”

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have condemned the violence, and said: "While people are entitled to take part in peaceful protest there is no justification for racism or for the violence and intimidation that occurred on our streets on Saturday. 

“We have spoken to the Chief Constable and offered him our full support and we pledged to work to deliver a shared, peaceful and inclusive society. 

“There must be a zero-tolerance approach to racism and wanton destruction. Nobody should have to live in fear or threat of violence. 

“Again, we would appeal to anyone with information to contact the PSNI.”