For hours, the acrid stench of burning rubber filled the Belfast air as a mob of far-right extremists descended upon us. Muslim-owned businesses were torched and refugees were stabbed. As a Palestinian living in Belfast, the events of August 3 felt like a targeted purge. Whilst their advertised target was Belfast’s Islamic Centre, every Muslim or individual who wasn’t white soon became prey. Fuelled by alcohol and drugs, they transformed a city into a battleground: they thew projectiles, gave Nazi salutes, screeched “F*k Palestine”, waved Union Jack and Israeli flags, and chanted the name of t…