On July 5, 2009 ethnic rioting took place between Uyghurs and Han in Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang. The government reported that more than 150 people, mostly Han Chinese, were killed during the clashes. Many Uyghurs claim the governments numbers do not account for the Uyghurs killed by Han vigilantes and security forces. Governor Nur Bekri claimed in a July 6 speech that Uighur Online had spread rumors that contributed to the riots. Officials avoided discussion of issues such as the limits on Uyghur religious practice, the asymmetry of economic opportunities for Han and Uyghurs, the suppression of the Uyghur language, or the increasing Han immigration in an Uyghur majority province.