In Addis Ababa, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd outside the hospital, and gunshots were heard in the city where people set fire to tires.

Hachalu's songs often focused on the rights of the country's Oromo ethnic group and became anthems in a wave of protests that led to the downfall of the previous prime minister in 2018.

[7] The killing of Hachalu Hundessa, an Oromo musician and civil rights activist on 29 June 2020, sent shock waves of anger, resentment, and frustration throughout Ethiopia.

[11] Oromo activists have drawn parallels with the George Floyd protests in the United States, although critics argued such claims were flawed and served as an alibi for ethnically motivated violence.

[16] Eye-witness reports claimed that "all but 4 or 5 buildings" in the town center had been torched, and that the Rastafari community had been targeted due to its association with the Emperor Haile Selassie.

Some Oromo nationalists portray the Orthodox Christian church as part of the predominantly Amhara power structure under the old imperial regime, which they accuse of suppressing their identities and culture for centuries.

During October 2019 Ethiopian clashes, Orthodox Christian leaders reported mobs targeting their congregants and churches, while demonstrators also attacked a mosque in Adama, in central Oromia.

[24] The Oromo have themselves long faced marginalisation and exclusion at the hands of the central government; in this instance, those targeted have largely comprised members of other ethnic groups that constitute minorities in the Oromia region.

[30] The incident happened when Jawar and his guards intercepted the transportation of the remains of Hachalu Hundessa to his home town of Ambo, which lies 100 km west of Addis Ababa.

[31] Subsequently, former journalist-turned-politician Eskinder Nega and Sintayehu Chekol from the Balderas movement, a critic of both the government and Oromo ethno-nationalists, were also arrested for "attempting to incite violence.

Abiy reportedly suggested that Egypt may be behind the unrest, saying "those external and internal forces who were not successful with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue have tried their utmost efforts to create chaos at this time".

"[34] Ian Bremmer wrote in a Time magazine article that Prime Minister Abiy "may just be looking for a scapegoat that can unite Ethiopians against a perceived common enemy.

"[35] While some have welcomed the government's move as a "firm response" to restore order and provide accountability, others have warned that a crackdown, in light of delayed elections, would "exacerbate underlying tensions, and put [Ethiopia's] nascent democracy into danger.

"[36] Oromos held protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul,[37] Chicago, Paris,[38] and London, among other locations, demanding justice for Hachalu Hundessa and the release of political prisoners Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba, and dozens of Oromia Media Network journalists.

[39] On 30 June 2020, a statue of Emperor Haile Selassie in Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, South West London, was destroyed by Oromo protesters.

[6] In its report, the EHRC called on regional and federal authorities to carry out investigations and judicial procedures and to develop institutions for long-term solutions for discrimination and attacks on minorities.