When rioters recently launched attacks in dozens of British cities, some of them targeted the businesses of Britain’s ethnic minority.

The unrest began after a fatal knife attack in Southport that left three young girls dead. The perpetrators falsely accused a Muslim migrant. As misinformation about the suspect spread online, angry crowds took to the streets to hurl indiscriminate abuse at migrants and Muslims. Black and Asian Britons were also targeted.

On August 3, many people caused chaos in the northern English city of Liverpool near Southport and Ardalan Othman had to watch first hand as his general store was looted and vandalized.

His surveillance cameras filmed the incident.

In one scene, a group of men steal cigarette packets. Some take expensive items such as e-cigarettes. A couple go to great lengths to break into the till. Some are seen packing individual bars of chocolate into their backpacks.

“I could see everything as it was happening,” Othman said.

He immediately called the police, but it was too late. The store was destroyed.

“I was at home when they broke in. They stole all my cash, e-cigarettes and cigarettes. They smashed the windows. Everything was ruined.”

As he works to repair the damage, he is plagued by anxious thoughts.

“There were more than 100. If I had been inside, they could have killed me. I haven’t slept properly since.”

Othman lives a short walk from his shop, but still feels nervous. He says he’s constantly looking around.

“I don’t feel safe at all. I check all the doors and windows before I sleep. I’m terrified that they will come back or follow me and attack my house.”

Othman is originally from Iraq and sought safety in the United Kingdom seven years ago.

“I came here to escape the violence. I have never experienced danger. But that evening, for the first time, I felt like it was like Iraq.”

While causing chaos and fear, the rioters used nationalist slogans, chanting “Save our children” and were heard saying, “There is no black in the Union Jack.”

“If they want their country back, why are they attacking my store? What have I ever done to them? I pay my taxes, I contribute to this country. They are not protesters, they are terrorists.”

It will take some time for the trauma to subside, he said, but the support of the community has given him comfort in recent days.

“I don’t feel alone, people are trying to help me. That makes me feel like I can (get well again).”

Hundreds of kilometers away, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, similar riots occurred.

Mohammed Idris’s cafe was looted and set on fire.

“I left Sudan to escape the cycle of injustice,” he said. “It’s not fair. They blame (us) immigrants for their problems.”

He settled in Belfast in 2012 and established his café as an important meeting place for his community.

“People from North East Africa, the Middle East and even Pakistan all come here and meet in my cafe. It has become a second home for them,” he added.

Idris was working in his office upstairs when he heard the mob calling his name.

“They shouted ‘Where is Mohammed?’ and then started smashing all the windows on the ground floor.”

He called the police and then watched in horror as the rioters set fire to his café.

“They left nothing behind,” he said.

This is not the first time Idris has been the victim of such a crime. Last year, his computer store was completely ransacked and everything in it was stolen.

Idris was devastated to see another business destroyed and considered giving up.

“I told myself that’s it, I give up, I’ll always be a foreigner here. I can’t do this anymore.”

But in the days that followed, locals showered him with messages of support.

“People said, ‘You can’t close down, we need you.’ They told me they want me here,” he said.

Many donated to crowdfunding efforts to benefit the affected companies, with some fundraisers raising more than £100,000 ($130,000).

“I’m afraid for my daughter”

Zia Umair, a Pakistani entrepreneur, is also struggling with the consequences of the attack on his Ifix Phone store in Liverpool.

He was serving customers when a group burst into his store. He tried to close the shutters when he saw them approaching, but they were quick. He saw the rioters streaming through the store.

“They smashed the windows, threw the phones on the ground and stole every single one,” Umair said.

He said he had lost about £70,000 ($90,000) and was now grappling with the intricacies of his insurance policy.

The Association of British Insurers said insurers recognise this is an “incredibly stressful time” and are doing everything in their power to help customers as quickly as possible.

“The money is one thing, but I’m scared for my daughter,” Umair said. “I can’t even send her to kindergarten. With all this unrest still going on, what if they hurt her too?”

But like Othman and Idris, he was deeply moved by the community’s support.

“It touches me. Since then, people have come into my store and said, ‘I’m sorry they did that to you.'”

He believes that the rioters and their sympathizers are “not in the majority.”

“They don’t represent Liverpool,” he said.