Four attacks on foreign delivery workers took place in the Croatian coastal town of Split late last week. Four men have been arrested in connection to at least one of the incidents, they are suspected of committing a hate crime, according to local police.

The first incident took place late on Friday (November 8), according to Croation police. A 41-year-old foreign national was injured during an alleged attack on a food-delivery driver; one attacker reportedly also sustained "minor injuries," Croatian police said in a statement.

The attack was followed by three other incidents, which also appeared to be targeting foreign food-delivery workers, reported the French news agency AFP.

A day later, four men were arrested; they are being investigated for "hate crimes," according to Croatian police. During one of the attacks, a Nepali migrant worker was "seriously injured." Another of the victims of the attacks was reportedly Indian, with a further two not having yet been disclosed, reported AFP.

Taken to hospital

The identity of four of the alleged attackers has been established, police confirmed in a statement from November 9. Searches are ongoing for other participants in the attacks.

After initial research, police believe that "four young men, dressed in black clothes and wearing hats," attacked a 41-year-old delivery man "in such a way that while he was doing delivery work, they stopped his motorcycle and physically attacked him."

According to a police statement, the delivery man then pulled out a scapel to try and force the attackers to stop. However, the attackers continued, which resulted in one of them being injured. The attacker, a Croatian citizen was taken to hospital where he was treated. There, say police, it was established the alleged attacker is a minor. After being discharged from hospital, the suspect was taken to the police station where a criminal investigation began.

The delivery driver also received medical attention. Police believe that following the first attack, at least two of the attackers went on to attack a second man, a Nepali citizen in a nearby part of Split. In the second attack, police say, the delivery driver was "beaten with sticks at a roundabout" after which the two attackers "fled the scene."

The Nepali delivery driver suffered a broken arm in the attack, say police. Later on that night, four young men, whose identity is not yet known, threw seven mopeds, used by foreign delivery drivers, onto the floor. Then later, three young masked men "physically attacked and threatened a food delivery man of Indian nationality." The victim in this case, say police, "was slightly injured."

Following the attacks, the police said they intensified their prescence in Split, to prevent the possibility of any further illegal behavior. They said no further attacks were recorded that night. However, the police say they are determined to establish the identity of all alleged suspects and file the appropriate criminal charges.

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'Shocking and disturbing'

The Croatian government has labeled the attacks "shocking and disturbing" and said on its official X page that they would try and do everything in their power to prevent this kind of thing becoming normalized. "Brutal attacks on foreign workers in Split are shocking and disturbing, trampling on the right to human dignity and safety of every person. Violence, discrimination and xenophobia must not be tolerated in any form," they said.

The government also states that they "commended the professional reaction of the police", that “foreign workers are not a threat” and that the Croatian economy "needs them." It concluded that they should enjoy the "same dignity and safety as the rest of us."

Like many other EU countries, Croatia is struggling to overcome chronic labor shortages, with a shrinking population and many of its own nationals migrating to work from other richer countries within the EU.

An increase in foreign migrant workers

Croatia used to source most of its seasonal workers from is Balkan neighbors, but now, reports AFP, it is becoming increasingly reliant on migrant workers from countries like Nepal, India, and the Philippines to fill jobs in sectors like construction and tourism.

"Foreign workers filled a segment on the labor market that we obviously could not," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters. In 2023, Croatia issued almost 120,000 non EU-nationals with work permits. That was 40 percent more than in 2022.

It is expected that 2024 will see further increases. According to AFP, the Croatian government has already issued 150,000 work permits this year to non-EU nationals.

Attacks on foreign nationals are also reportedly increasing. Police in the capital Zagreb said there had been many attacks on food-delivery drivers, although they added that most were robberies and did not appear to be racially motivated.

Comments under the government’s statement on the attacks in Split appear to express much of the anger felt towards migrants in Croatia’s previously relatively homogenous society. According to AFP, ethnic Croats make up about 90 percent of Croatia’s population, and about 80 percent of these are Roman Catholics.

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Changes coming, to ease rules for migrant workers

Migrants arriving in Croatia, even those with permits to work could face language barriers and negative attitudes, despite the need for labor expressed by the government. Croatia’s Minister of Interior Davor Bozinovic told the platform Schengen News that the government planned on increasing the numbers of foreign workers yet more.

The government says it is working on a plan to grant more rights and offer more favorable rules to foreign workers, reported Schengen News on Monday (November 11). For instance, if an employment contract is terminated, foreign workers might in future be eligible to a compensation period of 60 days while they look for the next job.

The measure, said the authorities, is aimed at preventing abuse of foreign workers and prevents them from being forced to leave the country if they suddenly find themselves jobless. The authorities are also thinking about extending work permits from the current length of validity -- one year -- to three years.

With AFP