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Her er en mulighed  for at skrive  under sammen med de folk der  allerede  er listet nedenfor. Hvad rådet gerne ser ske med  vi ikke-jøders  ytringsfrihed, fortjener sit eget kapitel. Om ikke andet, så i al fald af numerisk større  rækkevidde, da  der kun er  sølle 14 mio. jøder  i  hele  verden.

Nearly seven years ago, the “UN World Conference against Racism” took place in Durban (South Africa). This event mutated into an outright tribunal against Israel and its right to exist and into an apologia for unfree states and dictatorships. The UN is now planning to organize a “Durban Review Conference” in April 2009 in Geneva. French novelist and essayist Pascal Bruckner has recently called to boycott it.

We, the undersigned – journalists, writers, scientists and artists – join Bruckner’s appeal. We call the states of the European Union, and especially Germany, to boycott the “Durban 2” conference and to push forward a comprehensive reform of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council.

At the 2001 UN Conference against Racism in Durban, anti-colonialism bared its anti-Semitic face. Democracies should stay away from a repeat performance next year in Geneva. By Pascal Bruckner In September 2001 the South African city of Durban played host to the third United Nations World Conference against Racism, which was aimed at achieving recognition for crimes related to slavery and colonialism. The event’s organisers hoped that the whole of mankind would use this ceremonious occasion to face up to its history and chronicle events with equanimity.

These good intentions rapidly degenerated into one-upmanship among victims and bloodlust directed at Israeli organisations and anyone else suspected of being Jewish. The original intent, which was to heal the wounds of the past through a sort of collective therapy and arrive at new standards for human rights, twisted into an outburst of hatred which, in the wake of the September 11 attacks that followed only days later, disappeared from the public eye.

It’s time we had another look. Against the wishes of the organisers, Durban became an arena where people screamed and hurled insults at each other in a re-enactment of the comedy of damned, in the face of the white exploiter. “The pain and anger are still felt. The dead, through their descendants, cry out for justice”, Kofi Annan said on August 31 of the same year – an astounding choice of words for a UN secretary general and more a call for revenge than reconciliation. The delegates at the conference, particularly those from the Arab-Muslim states, also understood it as such and, together with the African group, they transformed the conference into a stage for anti-colonialist revenge. The West, which is genocidal by nature, should recognise its crimes, beg for forgiveness and pay symbolic and financial reparations to the victims of its oppression. Emotions ran high and anger was brought to the boil by coverage of the second antifada which was being violently quashed by the Israeli army.

Zionism was condemned outright as the contemporary form of Nazism and apartheid, but so was “white viciousness”, which had caused “one Holocaust after the other in Africa” through human trafficking, slavery and colonialism. Israel should disappear; its politicians should be brought before an international tribunal similar to the one in Nuremberg. Anti-Semitic cartoons were circulated, copies of “Mein Kampf” and the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” were handed out. Beneath a photo of Hitler were the words that Israel would never have existed and the Palestinians would never have had to spill their blood if he had been victorious. A number of delegates were physically threatened, there were calls of “Death to Jews”. This farce came to a head when the Sudanese Minister of Justice, Ali Mohamed Osman Yasin, demanded reparations for historical slavery, although in his own country, people are being shamelessly thrown into a new slavery today.

One might think that this sinister comedy would give the UN second thoughts about repeating its mistake. But there is no underestimating the extraordinary determination of dictators and fundamentalists, who have transformed the UN Human Rights Council into a platform for their demands. A Durban II (The Durban Review Conference) is due to take place in Geneva 20 to 24 April 2009, and it promises to be a repeat of Durban 1.

The reports and projects which have been mounting up over the past six years do not encourage optimism. On September 14, 2007, Doudou Diene, UN Special Rapporteur for racism, xenophobia and discrimination held a speech in front of the United Nations in Geneva. In it he repeatedly blames Western countries for using September 11 to encourage the most perfidious forms of Islamophobia. He defines this Islamophobia as a form of racism which has its roots in the first contact between Islam and Christianity, notably the Crusades and the Spanish Reconquista. He does make mention of anti-Semitism, anti-Christian sentiment and other forms of religious suppression, but his main focus is “anti-Muslim racism”. Throughout Europe and the United States intellectuals and politicians of all stripes are guilty of a wide array of offences against the religion of the prophet.

These include the principle of laicism, as championed by the French, the “ban on religious symbols in public schools”, the “threatened ban on the burqa in England’s public buildings” and stigmatisation of the veil and the headscarf: all signs of a resurgence of intolerance. Diene regrets that laicism has lead “to a general suspicion of religious belief” and he believes that “dogmatic secularism” is being used to “manipulate the freedom of religion”. So it comes as no surprise to him that the West, as a “pillar of slavery and colonialism”, is leading the way in a “systematic denigration of Muslim intellectuals” (here he is thinking particularly of Tariq Ramadan) and the idea of a “clash of civilisations” a la Samuel Huntington.

By contrast, as he sees it, the persecution of Christian minorities in the Middle East, Africa and India is the unfortunate consequences of the missionary work of Evangelical groups from North America, who are letting their religious brothers suffer for their own bigotry. All criticism of dogma, every questioning of religious belief is, Diene says, a form of racist insult and should be punished. Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius have become untouchable icons, who must be protected against criminal attacks. Should we reintroduce blasphemy as a criminal offence like the fundamentalists of the three monotheistic religions are suggesting – in a return to the Ancien Regime?

Unsurprisingly, Diene’s report has the ardent support of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the majority of the Non-Aligned Movement where you can count the democracies on one hand. Because Doudou Diene makes it his policy to refrain from all criticism of authoritarian regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America and reserves his munition for the States of Europe and North America, whom he accuses of fomenting pogroms against their minorities. It will also come as no surprise that in April 2007 Iran was nominated as vice president and Syria as rapporteur for the Disarmament Commission. This might be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic!

In a nutshell: Anti-racism in the UN has become the ideology of totalitarian regimes who use it in their own interests. Dictatorships or notorious half-dictatorships (Libya, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Cuba etc.) co-opt democratic language and instrumentalise legal standards, to position themselves against democracies without ever putting turning the questions on themselves. A new Inquisition is establishing itself, which brandishes “defamation of religion” to quash any impulses of doubt, particularly in Islamic countries. And this at a time when millions of Muslims, particularly in Europe, want to distance themselves from bigotry and fundamentalism. In a reversal of values, anti-racism is being propagated by despots in the service of obscurantism and the suppression of women! It is being used to justify precisely the things which it was formulated to fight: suppression, prejudice, inequality.

In the hands of these powerful and organised lobbies, the UN is becoming an instrument of retrogression in the world, when it was created to promote justice, peace, and human dignity.

Europe must take a firm stand against this buffoonery: boycott it, plain and simple. Just as Canada has done. Perhaps we should also think about dissolving the Human Rights Council or only letting truly democratic countries in. It is intolerable that in the year 2008 – like in the thirties – nations which recognise justice, the multi-party state and freedom of expression are being brought before the tribunal of history by the lobbies of fanatics and tyrants.

First signatures:

Sharon Adler; Editor-in-chief AVIVA-Berlin and photographer, Berlin, Germany
Nasrin Amirsedghi; Publicist, Mainz, Germany
Seyran Ates; Lawyer and author, Berlin, Germany
Prof. Russell A. Berman; Stanford University, Editor Telos, USA
Prof. Pierre Birnbaum; University Paris I, France
Pascal Bruckner; Novelist and essayist, France
Paulo Casaca; Politician and Member of European Parliament, Portugal
Thierry Chervel; Journalist, Berlin, Germany
Nina Farhi; Psychoanalyst, London, Great Britain
Moris Farhi; Writer, London, Great Britain
Alex Feuerherdt; Journalist, Bonn, Germany
Dr. Ralph Giordano; Journalist and author, Cologne, Germany
Gabi Gleichmann; Essayist and writer, Norway
Lars Gustafsson; Poet, philosoph, romancier, and the former Editor-in-chief Bonniers litterära Magasin, Sweden
Gabriel Heimler; Artist, Berlin, Germany
Prof. Jeffrey Herf; University of Maryland, USA
Katharina Höftmann; Student of psychology, Berlin, Germany
Dr. Martin Jander; Historian, journalist, Germany
Britta Jürgs; Publisher AVIVA publishing house, Berlin, Germany
Dr. Necla Kelek; Sociologist and author, Berlin, Germany
Dr. Michael Kreutz; Orientalist, Erfurt and Bochum, Germany
Jonathan Kriener; Orientalist, Bochum, Germany
Dr. Matthias Küntzel; Author and Board member Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (German Chapter), Hamburg, Germany
Prof. Benny Morris; Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken; Author and Head of Mission of Wadi in Iraq, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Dr. Diethard Pallaschke; University of Karlsruhe and Board member Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (German Chapter), Germany
Dr. Mahmoud Rambod; Historian and sociologist, Bochum, Germany
Peter Schneider; Writer, Berlin, Germany
Saul Singer; Journalist Jerusalem Post and author, Tel Aviv, Israel
Sacha Stawski; Honestly Concerned e.V. and Coordinating Council of German NGOs against anti-Semitism, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Dr. Sylke Tempel; Journalist and publicist, Berlin, Germany
Benjamin Weinthal; Journalist (Haaretz/Jerusalem Post), Berlin, Germany

Everyone who also wants to sign the appeal is sincerely invited. Please send an e-mail with your full name, your profession and your town to boycottdurban2@yahoo.de. Afterwards your signature will be published on this website.* The appeal will result in an open letter to the German government and further governments of the EU before the Durban Review Conference starts. Therefore, this collection of signatures will be closed by February 1st, 2009.  Website Boycott Durban II

(Alle  illustrationer  fra Durban I)

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Johansen
Johansen
15 years ago

Ærgerligt at vi ikke har set Søren Espersens glimrende kommentarer om den planlagte skandaløse Durban 2 konference i MSM.
Jeg har i hvert fald kigget langt efter en klar udmelding fra DF.

Anna Lyttiger
15 years ago

Det passer ikke, at SF er det eneste parti imod deltagelse i Durban II, det er DF også. Fra min inbox: Tak for din mail. Der må vist foreligge en misforståelse. Allerede for en uge siden sendte jeg nedenstående til udenrigsministeren med klart krav om, at DK boykotter konferencen. 5 dage inden SF reagerede. … Spørgsmål til udenrigsministeren af Søren Espersen (DF) – til skriftlig besvarelse “Vil udenrigsministeren tage skridt til en dansk boykot af den konference, som FNs Menneskerettighedsråd er i færd med at arrangere under navnet “Durban 2″?” Begrundelse: Durban 2 vil – efter hvad der er kommet… Read more »

Robin_Shadowes
Robin_Shadowes
15 years ago

Fördelen denna gång var att Jimmie Åkesson slapp framträda tillsammans med en massa halalhippies vilket är mera vanligt. Kanske detta är en vändpunkt och han framöver kommer bli behandlad med mera respekt. Hoppas kan man ju alltid.

Robin_Shadowes
Robin_Shadowes
15 years ago

Det är inget mindre än landsförräderi att rusta ner ett lands militärmakt till sådan pyyteliten styrka som den är nu. Att politikerna dessutom tycker det är viktigare att ha denna styrka utomlands hellre än att skydda sitt eget land är verkligen helsjukt. Dessa quislingar förtjänar exakt samma straff som den man vars namn kommit at bli synonymt med just landsförräderi i hela världen!

JensH
JensH
15 years ago

“Vi kan omedelbart mobilisera 400 man vid ett överraskande anfall.”

Der indregner han åbenbart ikke de mange importerede jiahd-krigere, og som nu er stationeret på kasernerne Tensta, Rinkeby og Rosengård.

JensH
JensH
15 years ago

Den her er næsten for morsom, men nu vil Sverige til at genopbygge deres hær. Sådan som det ser ud i øjeblikket vil det tage 1 år at gøre 10.000 mand kampklar, hvilket ikke ligefrem kan siges at være en imponerende reaktions-tid for så lille en styrke:

http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20080909/verden/80909048/

Det mest groteske er, at den Svenske regering hævder at denne ny-orientering skal ses i lyset af begivenhederne i Georgien. Jeg kunne ellers komme med langt bedre begrundelser der tager sit udgangspunkt i interne trusler fremfor eksterne trusler mod Rikets sikkerhed.

JensH
JensH
15 years ago

@Johansen

Helt enig. Og nu hvor SF er igang med ‘rengøringen’ mht. at blive mere stuerene, så kunne Villy Løwndal passende hviske nogle SF’ere diskret i øret, at det måske var på tide de ganske kraftigt genovervejede deres engagement i denne forening:

http://www.dhip.dk/jsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=5

Johansen
Johansen
15 years ago

Når nu SF ønsker at boykotte det af islamister kuppede menneskerettighedsråd i FN, så kunne de måske også overveje at droppe deres kvalmende støtte til boykot Israel kampagnen?

Vivian Clayborn
Vivian Clayborn
15 years ago

At det bare er SF, som går ind for en boycott af Durban II, er ikke mindre end rystende, og får i hvert fald mig til, at revidere mit politiske ståsted. D.v.s. hvis det ikke bare er en “DR-sandhed”.

Kepiblanc
15 years ago

Det forlyder her til morgen (godt nok i Danmarx Radio, men alligevel), at det eneste parti som går ind for en boycot er SF ????? – Er det 1. april eller drømmer jeg stadig?

narhval
narhval
15 years ago

Der er vel de stater, der er mere racistiske end Israel. For eksempel Saudi-Arabien.

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