Shock at vacation resort

Hate attacks on migrant food vendors

Symbolic image

(Bild: APA/AFP/Denis LOVROVIC )

In the Croatian coastal town of Split, there have been four suspected racially motivated attacks on foreign food vendors since Friday evening. All four attacks occurred in quick succession, as the police reported on Saturday. 

First, a 41-year-old delivery man was attacked late on Friday evening. The migrant and one attacker were slightly injured.

The police then arrested four men suspected of having committed the attack for racist motives.

One migrant seriously injured
Shortly afterwards, three further attacks took place. One migrant from Nepal was seriously injured. Another victim was from India. The countries of origin of the other food suppliers attacked were not disclosed. The perpetrators are on the run, the police added.

High proportion of foreigners in Split
Croatia, a country with a population of 3.8 million, is increasingly dependent on foreign workers due to a high emigration rate and a shrinking population. In addition to seasonal workers from the surrounding Balkan states, more and more migrant workers are also coming to Croatia from countries such as Nepal, India and the Philippines to work in the construction and tourism sectors.

In 2023, Croatia issued almost 120,000 work permits for migrants from non-EU countries, an increase of 40 percent compared to the previous year. This year, 150,000 work visas for migrants from other EU countries had already been issued by November.

In the capital Zagreb, the police noted a growing number of attacks on migrant workers at the beginning of the year, particularly on food delivery workers. However, these were mostly robberies and not racially motivated.