2024 Bishkek riots

2024 Bishkek riots
Location	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Date	May 17 2024
Target	Foreigners
Attack type	Mob attack
Injured	14
Perpetrators	Kyrgyz nationalist mobs
Motive	Xenophobia

The 2024 Bishkek riots were attacks on foreigners by Kyrgyz mobs in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The clashes lasted from May 17th to the 18th.

Clashes

Clashes began after Kyrgyz students were involved in a brawl with Egyptian and other Arab medical students on May 13 in Bishkek. The Arabs were allegedly winning the fight, which sparked retaliation by Kyrgyz mobs against foreigners in the country. Initially, over 100 Kyrgyz gathered "to take revenge on the foreigners who beat up residents." Although Kyrgyz mobs were targeting all foreigners, Pakistanis became the most targeted as they were over 6,000 in the city. Indians and Bengalis were attacked too. The attacks were initially in universities, although they later spread to the streets, with Kyrgyz mobs attacking anyone perceived as foreign, whether they were boys or girls. Foreigners were instructed not to leave their homes and to close their curtains and to hide as the Kyrgyz mobs were severely beating people without any exceptions. The Kyrgyz mobs began going on a manhunt around the city for foreigners. 500-700 more Kyrgyz youth aged between 18 and 25 gathered in the city center. On Kyrgyz social media, rioters sent messages calling on locals to come out and attack foreigners. It was described as "a dangerous situation where locals are clashing with foreigners. Hundreds of Kyrgyz people are on the streets, and they are ready to harm any foreigner they encounter. Some Pakistani students have lost their lives, and Indian students have also been beaten. The conflict initially started between Egyptian students and Kyrgyz locals but has now escalated to target Indians and Pakistanis." Mobs surrounded universities, workplaces, houses, and hostels where Pakistanis, Indians, and Bangladeshis were at, and dragged them out to beat. They also chanted racist slogans. Local streets were closes by authorities, although it did not have much effect.