In late June 2009, a mass brawl occurred at a toy factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, in which Han Chinese workers clashed with Uyghur workers from Xinjiang. The fighting resulted in the deaths of two Uyghur workers and dozens of serious injuries on each side. Later, video of the incident spread to Xinjiang. On July 5th, thousands of Uyghur university students and members of the general public staged a protest march in Ürümqi, in which they demanded that the government investigate the Shaoguan incident. Eventually, the rally and march turned into an extremely serious confrontation between the police and the public. Police cars were set ablaze and bystanders were violently attacked.
Official statistics say that 197 people were killed and more than 1,700 were injured in the incident. However, many credible sources show that the actual numbers are likely much higher.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defined the July 2009 Ürümqi Massacre as a "serious violent criminal incident of assault, vandalism, looting, and arson" orchestrated by forces both inside and outside the country. The CCP identifies the internationally known leader of the Uyghur independence movement, Rebiya Kadeer, as having orchestrated the riot.
Following the July 2009 Ürümqi Massacre, mobile phone and internet reception in Xinjiang became partially restricted, and remained so until May 14th, 2010. In addition to this, following two incidents in Ürümqi where Han Chinese marched and attacked Uyghurs, ethnic antagonism has escalated on the internet. Since then, Xinjiang issues have become increasingly tense; the government has increased monitoring and control of Uyghurs, and well as interrogation and "re-education" of Uyghurs that violate generally-accepted legal procedures. After this, the government also instituted the "Xinjiang mode" that has become so controversial today. July 5th has thus become emblematic of Uyghurs being brutally massacred by the Chinese authorities.
References: [維基百科("Wikipedia")(Chinese)] (https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/乌鲁木齐七五事件); [BBC中文網("BBC News Chinese Edition")(Chinese)] (https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-48836678); [端傳媒("Initium Media")(Chinese)] (https://theinitium.com/article/20190709-opinion-xinjiang-7-5/); [中央社("Central News Agency")(Chinese)] (https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/202107050013.aspx)
