Racially-motivated violence (or ethnic violence) is a form of violence which is caused by the dislike of people from one ethnic group towards people of another ethnic group. Xenophobia often also plays a role. If the question is about grouping many similar events, people also talk about ethnic conflict. It is important to make a difference between ethnic violence, which is violence "motivated" by an ethnic division, from violence that just happens to break out between groups of different ethnicity motivated by other factors (political or ideological).