Police in Croatia said on Saturday that four men were arrested over a racially-motivated attack against foreign workers, which was followed by three similar incidents that left one Nepali seriously injured.
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The European country of 3.8 million people is struggling to overcome chronic labour shortages as it faces mass emigration and a shrinking population.
Traditionally reliant on seasonal workers from Balkan neighbours, Croatia is increasingly counting on labourers from Nepal, India, the Philippines and elsewhere to fill tens of thousands of jobs notably in construction and its key tourism sector on the Adriatic coast.
Police said on Saturday that the four arrested, who are suspected of physically attacking a food-delivery worker in the coastal town of Split, were being investigated over a “hate crime”.
In the attack, which occurred late on Friday, a 41-year foreign national and one attacker sustained minor injuries, a police statement said.
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The attack was immediately followed by three other incidents targeting foreign food-delivery workers, also in Split, in which one Nepali was seriously injured.
