This is a list of ethnic riots by country, and includes riots based on

ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

, and

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

conflict. Some of these riots can also be classified as

pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

Africa

Americas

United States

Nativist period: 1700s–1860

* 1824:

Providence, RI Providence () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and ...

– Hard Scrabble Riots * 1829:

Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of whic ...

– Cincinnati riots of 1829 * 1829:

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Also called Mishawum by the Massachusett, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Bost ...

– anti-Catholic Riots * 1831: Providence, RI * 1834:

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

– Convent burning * 1834:

Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

– pro-slavery riots * 1834: New York, NY – New York City pro-slavery riots * 1835: Boston, MA – pro-slavery riots * 1835: Five Points Riot * 1835: Washington, D.C. – Snow Riot * 1836: Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati riots of 1836 * 1841: Cincinnati, OH – White Irish-descendant and Irish immigrant dock workers rioted against Black dock workers. * 1844: Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Nativist Riots * 1851: Hoboken, NJ – anti-German riot * 1855: Louisville, KY – anti-German riots

Civil War period: 1861–1865

Reconstruction era: 1865–1877

* 1866: New Orleans massacre of 1866 * 1866:

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, mostly ethnic Irish against African Americans * 1868: Pulaski Riot * 1868: St. Bernard Parish massacre,

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana St. Bernard Parish (; ) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest community is Chalmette. The parish was formed in 1807. St. Bernard Parish is part of the New Orleans– Metairie metropolitan statistical area; t ...

, whites against blacks * 1868: Opelousas massacre,

Opelousas, Louisiana Opelousas (; ) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 in Louisiana, Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 in Louisiana, U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a ju ...

, whites against blacks * 1868: Camilla massacre, Camilla, Georgia, whites against blacks * 1870: Eutaw massacre, Eutaw, Alabama, whites against blacks * 1870: Laurens, South Carolina * 1870: New York City Orange Riot * 1871: Second New York City Orange Riot * 1871: Los Angeles, Chinese massacre. Mixed Mexican and white mob killed 17–20 Chinese in the largest mass lynching in U.S. history * 1871: Meridian race riot of 1871,

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

, whites against African Americans * 1891: New Orleans, lynchings of Italians and riot * 1873: Colfax massacre, white Democrats against black Republicans * 1874: New Orleans, Louisiana ( Battle of Liberty Place) After contested gubernatorial election, Democrats took over state buildings for three days * 1874: Coushatta massacre,

Coushatta, Louisiana Coushatta is a town in, and the parish seat of, rural Red River Parish in north Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River. The community is approximately 45 miles south of Shreveport on U.S. Highway 71. The pop ...

, white Democrats against black Republicans * 1874–1875: Vicksburg massacre, Vicksburg, Mississippi * 1875: Yazoo City, Mississippi * 1875: Clinton, Mississippi * 1876: Hamburg Massacre * 1876: Ellenton riot, Ellenton, South Carolina

Jim Crow era: 1878–1914

* 1885: Rock Springs, WY – Anti-Chinese riot * 1886: Seattle, WA –

Seattle riot of 1886 The Seattle riot of 1886 occurred on February 6–9, 1886, in Seattle, Washington, amidst rising anti-Chinese sentiment caused by intense labor competition and in the context of an ongoing struggle between labor and capital in the Western Unite ...

* 1889: Forrest City, AR – 1889 Forrest City riot * 1891: New Orleans, LA – March 14, 1891 New Orleans lynchings * 1898: North Carolina –

Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality **District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area **Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom *Wilmington, Devon *Wi ...

(white Democrats overthrew elected government and attacked Blacks) * 1898: Lake City, SC – Lynching of Frazier B. Baker and Julia Baker * 1898: Greenwood County, SC – Phoenix election riot * 1900: New Orleans, LA – Robert Charles riots * 1900: Manhattan, NY – Tenderloin anti-Black mob and police riot * 1904: Springfield, OH – Springfield race riot of 1904 * 1906: Springfield, OH – Springfield race riot of 1906 * 1906: Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Massacre of 1906 (whites against African Americans) * 1906: Brownsville, TX – Brownsville affair * 1907: Onancock, VA * 1907: San Francisco, CA and Bellingham, WA – Pacific Coast race riots of 1907 (anti-Asian) * 1908: Springfield, IL – Springfield race riot of 1908 * 1909: Omaha, NE – Greek Town riot * 1910: Nationwide – Johnson–Jeffries riots (anti-black riots following the heavyweight championship victory of Jack Johnson against Jim Jeffries) * 1910: Slocum, TX – Slocum massacre

War and interwar period: 1914–1945

* 1917: East St. Louis, IL – East St. Louis riots * 1917: Chester, PA – 1917 Chester race riot * 1917: Philadelphia, PA * 1917: El Paso, TX – 1917 Bath riots * 1917: Houston, TX – Houston riot * 1919:

Red Summer The Red Summer was a period in mid-1919 during which Terrorism in the United States#White nationalism and white supremacy, white supremacist terrorism and Mass racial violence in the United States, racial riots occurred in more than three d ...

** Washington, D.C. ** Chicago race riot of 1919 ** Omaha race riot of 1919 ** Charleston riot of 1919 ** Longview race riot ** Knoxville riot of 1919 ** Elaine Race Riot * 1920: Ocoee, FL – Ocoee Massacre * 1921: Tulsa, OK –

Tulsa race massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

* 1921: Springfield, OH – Springfield race riot of 1921 * 1923: Rosewood, FL – Rosewood massacre * 1927: Yakima Valley, WA – Yakima Valley riots (anti-Filipino) * 1928: Wenatchee Valley – Wenatchee Valley anti-Filipino riot * 1929: Exeter, CA – Exeter anti-Filipino riot * 1930: Watsonville, CA – Watsonville riots (anti-Filipino riot that inspired further riots and attacks in San Francisco, Salinas, San Jose, and elsewhere). * 1935: New York, NY – Harlem riot of 1935 * 1943: Detroit, MI – Detroit race riot * 1943: Beaumont, TX – Beaumont race riot of 1943 * 1943: New York, NY – Harlem riot of 1943 * 1943: Los Angeles, CA –

Zoot Suit Riots The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots that took place June 3–8, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, United States, involving United States Armed Forces, American servicemen stationed in Southern California and young Latino and Mexican ...

(white against Mexican Americans and other Zoot suit wearers) * 1944: Agana, Guam – Agana race riot

Postwar era: 1946–1954

* 1946: Airport Homes race riots (series) Airport Homes race riots * 1946: Columbia, TN – Columbia race riot of 1946 * 1949: Cortlandt Manor, NY – Peekskill riots (anti-communist race riots against Jews and African Americans) * 1951: Cicero, IL – Cicero race riot

Civil rights and Black Power period: 1955–1977

* 1958: Maxton, NC – Battle of Hayes Pond * 1962: Oxford, MS – Ole Miss riot * 1963: Birmingham, AL – Birmingham Riot of 1963 * 1963: Cambridge, MD – Cambridge riot of 1963 * 1963: Lexington, NC – Lexington riot * 1964: Harlem, NY – Harlem Riot of 1964 * 1964: Rochester, NY – Rochester riot * 1964: North Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia 1964 race riot * 1965: Los Angeles, CA –

Watts Riots The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. The riots were motivated by anger at the racist and abus ...

* 1966: Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL – Division Street riots * 1966: Cleveland, OH – Hough Riots * 1966: Omaha, NE – North Omaha summer riots * 1966: Dayton, Ohio – 1966 Dayton race riot * 1967: Long Hot Summer of 1967 ** June 2: Boston riot (Boston, MA) ** June 11 – 14: Tampa riot (Tampa, FL) ** June 12 – June 15: Cincinnati riot (Cincinnati, OH) ** June 17: Atlanta riot (Atlanta, GA) ** June 26 – July 1: Buffalo riot (Buffalo, NY) ** July 12 – 17: Newark riots (Newark, NJ) ** July 14 – 16: Plainfield riots (Plainsfield, NJ) ** July 17: Cairo riot (Cairo, IL) ** July 20 – 21: Minneapolis riot (Minneapolis, MN) ** July 23 – 25: Toledo riot (Toledo, OH) ** July 23 – 28: Detroit riot (Detroit, MI) ** July 24: Cambridge riot (Cambridge, MD) ** July 26: Saginaw riot (Saginaw, MI) ** July 30: Albina riot (Portland, OR) ** July 30 – August 3: Milwaukee riot (Milwaukee, WI) * 1968:

Protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, which were predominantly characterized by the rise of left-wing politics, Anti-war movement, anti-war sentiment, Civil and political rights, civil rights urgency, youth C ...

** Orangeburg massacre (Orangeburg, SC) * 1968: King-assassination riots (riots following the assassination of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

) ** Baltimore riot of 1968 (Baltimore, MD) ** Chicago West Side riots (Chicago, IL) ** Louisville riots of 1968 (Louisville, KY) ** 1968 Washington, D.C. riots (Washington, D.C.) ** 1968 Wilmington riots (Wilmington, DE) * 1968: Cleveland, OH – Glenville shootout and riot * 1969: York, PA – 1969 York Race Riot * 1969: New York, NY – Stonewall Riot * 1970: Augusta, GA – May 11 Race Riot * 1970: Jackson, MS – Jackson State killings * 1971: Camden, NJ – Camden riots * 1976: Pensacola, FL – Escambia High School riots * 1972: Coast of

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

– USS Kitty Hawk Riot (October 12–13) * 1975: Ontario, CA – Chaffey High School race riot enhanced by local sniper

1978 to today

* 1978: Houston, TX – Moody Park Riot (on the first anniversary of Joe Campos Torres' death). * 1979: Worcester, MA – Great Brook Valley Projects Riots (Puerto Ricans rioted) * 1980: Miami, FL – Miami riots (riots in reaction to the acquittal of four Miami-Dade Police officers in the death of Arthur McDuffie). * 1980: Chattanooga, TN – Chattanooga riot * 1984: Lawrence, MA – 1984 Lawrence Riot (a small scale riot centered at the intersection of Haverhill and railroad streets between working class whites and Hispanics; several buildings were destroyed by Molotov cocktails; August 8, 1984). * 1989: Miami, FL – Overtown riot (two nights of rioting by residents after a black motorcyclist was shot by a Hispanic police officer in the predominantly black community of Overtown. The officer was later convicted of manslaughter). * 1990: Miami, FL – Wynwood riot (Puerto Ricans rioted after a jury acquitted six officers accused of beating a Puerto Rican drug dealer to death) * 1991: Brooklyn, New York, NY – Crown Heights riot (black anti-Jewish mob killed 2, injured 190). * 1992: Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles riots (riots in reaction to the acquittal of all four

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

officers involved in the videotaped beating of

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...

, in addition to the Korean involved in the murder of Latasha Harlins; riots broke out mainly involving black and Latino youths in the black neighborhoods of South Central LA and in the neighborhood of

Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...

before spreading to the rest of the city) * 1996: St. Petersburg, FL – St. Petersburg riots (2-day riots that broke out after 18-year-old Tyron Lewis was fatally shot by Officer Jim Knight, who stopped Lewis for speeding and claimed to have accidentally fire his weapon). * 2001: Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati riots (riots in a reaction to the fatal shooting of an unarmed young black male, Timothy Thomas by Cincinnati police officer Steven Roach). * 2003: Benton Harbor, MI – Benton Harbor riots * 2005: Toledo, OH – 2005 Toledo riot (a race riot that broke out after a planned

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

protest march through a black neighborhood). * 2006: Fontana, CA – Fontana High School riot (riot involving about 500 Latino and black students) * 2006: California – Prison race riots (a series of riots across California set off by a war between Latino and black prison gangs) * 2008: Los Angeles, CA – Locke High School riotLocke High School locked down after huge brawl
Los Angeles Times * 2009: Oakland, CA – 2009 Oakland riots (peaceful protests turned into rioting after the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man, by a BART transit policeman). * 2014–2015: Ferguson, MO – The

Ferguson unrest The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal Killing of Michael Brown, ...

(a series of riots that broke out over the

shooting of Michael Brown On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson. Wilson, a white male Fergu ...

). ** 2014 August: riots for two weeks after the initial shooting of Brown. ** 2014 November – December: riots for one week after the police officer who shot Brown was not indicted. ** 2015 August: riots for two days during the anniversary of Brown's shooting. * 2015: Baltimore, MD – 2015 Baltimore riots (protests-turned-riots following the death of Freddie Gray, an incident in which a suspect died in police custody) * 2016: Salt Lake City, UT – Riots sparked by the shooting of Abdullahi Omar Mohamed. * 2020: Nationwide – 2020 United States riots (protests-turned-riots that broke out across the US following the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

Asia

Europe

Oceania

References

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Ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...