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Anti-Hakka sentiment refers to the racism, persecution, hostility or hatred of Hakka people. Anti-Hakka sentiments traced it roots back when Hakkas first moved into Southern China, where Hakkas fought for land against the Southern Chinese locals which resulted in hatred and resentment against Hakkas by the Southern Chinese locals in return. Such hatred has resulted in conflict and wars against Hakkas.
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By Cantonese people
Hatred of Hakkas was especially prevalent among Cantonese people. Anti-Hakka sentiment among Cantonese people intensified during the 19th century Qing Dynasty, when Hakkas helped the Qing army to attack Cantonese villages, this accumilated in the largest clan war in China's history: the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars, where Cantonese mass murdered huge numbers of Hakkas.
During the clan war, Anti-Hakka slogans were commonly used by Cantonese people against Hakkas during the fighting such as "Hate the Hakkas and differentiate the province"(仇客分省).
The Cantonese massacred and killed Hakkas without pity and exterminated whole Hakka villages. By the time the clan war ended, one million people, most of them Hakkas, had been killed.
Anti-Hakka sentiment was also found overseas outside China as well, brought by Cantonese immigrants. When Cantonese people arrived in Madagascar they worked together to prevent any Hakkas from migrating to Madagascar. In Malaysia, friction between Cantonese and Hakkas started another clan war known as the Larut War.
Hakkas were seen as barbarians that closely related to tribal people by the Cantonese.
By Hoklo people
Hatred of Hakkas was also prevalent among the Hoklo people ever since they arrived in Fujian. Anti-hakka sentiment amongst Hoklos accelerated in Taiwan during the late Qing Dynasty, due to the Hakkas fighting for land, resulting in Hoklos killing Hakkas and clan fights.
In 2003, the use of Civil Service Examination questions written in Taiwanese Hokkien was referred to by some as anti-Hakka discrimination and Hoklo chauvanism on the part of the Democratic Progressive Party. The Examination Yuan later apoligized and said that the questions would be discounted from scoring and that only standard Written Chinese would appear on future exams.
Post-Taiping Rebellion
In retallion for starting for starting The Taiping rebellion, Qing dynasty authorities ordered the mass killing of certain dialect groups such as the Hakkas who collaborated with the previously existed Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After the surrender of the Hakkas, the Manchu Qing authorities committed enormous massacres against them, executing at least 30,000 Hakkas each day during the height of their operation. These policies of mass murder of civilians occurred elsewhere in China, including Anhui, and Nanjing. The Taiping Rebellion is thought to have led into the Hakka-Punti Wars.