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News :: Miscellaneous |
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LCCR Condemn's US Gov't Walkout At UN World Conference Against Racism |
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by Leadership Conference On Civil Rights
(No verified email address) |
04 Sep 2001
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DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - September 4 - Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the largest, oldest, and most diverse coalition of civil and human rights organizations in the United States, issued the following statement today condemning the U.S. government's decision to walkout of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) being held in Durban, South Africa. |
"The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights condemns the decision by the United States to withdraw from the WCAR. The government's stated reason for leaving the conference was to condemn verbal assaults against Israel and Jews, including language that equated Zionism with racism. While anti-Semitic sentiments expressed at the conference are repugnant, some representatives to the conference are working to re-write the disputed language. The United States' decision to withdraw forecloses its ability to be part of the ongoing process to improve the language."
"By withdrawing, the United States has squandered an opportunity to participate in important issues facing the country and the world. While we understand the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, focusing solely on this issue overshadows discussion of other critical challenges including contemporary slavery, caste discrimination, criminal justice, poverty, education, rights of indigenous peoples and gender discrimination. The refusal to take part in this historic discussion of important human rights issues is an abdication of U.S. leadership in the global effort against racism and bigotry."
"The Leadership Conference is also dismayed by the expressions of anti-Semitism voiced by a variety of sources. Such hate speech is not redeemed by the fact that Palestinians and other groups have also been subjected to abusive language. Religious hate has no place at a conference dedicated to the elimination of racism and other forms of intolerance. It is not acceptable for any racial, religious, or ethnic group to be made the target of discrimination."
"The government's withdrawal deprives advocates from the United States of formal representation and makes it extremely difficult to advance our aims for equal justice. The U.S. has been unwilling to engage in a conversation about reparations, the death penalty and several other important issues of criminal justice. While anti-Semitism is the issue that has been most prominent in the U.S. exit, other matters may have also played a role. Had the U.S. government stayed, it could have participated in the progress already being made on disability and other issues. Everyone should know that LCCR and its member organizations will vigorously pursue these critical matters at the conference and with the U.S. government when we return to the United States." |
See also:
http://www.civilrights.org
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