Live from Durban - SAJBD Diary Day 2

Here's day 2 of the Durban Review Conference diary from SA Jewish Board of Deputies National Director Wendy Kahn.

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Well the first day of the Durban Review Conference started with quite a bang, thanks to the Iranian Leader.

The International Jewish Caucus is incensed that a man representing a country inflicting such grotesque human rights violations (besides his Holocaust Denial and `wipe Israel off the map’ statements) could be allowed to be one of the introductory speakers at a conference purporting to further the causes of Human Rights and opposing racism. Particularly offensive to have this Holocaust Denier speak at the Eve of Yom Hashoah.

It was so exciting to see the massive walk-out during his speech as he began to demonise Israel and Zionists. Included in the walk out were all the EU government representatives. You could see a visibly empty hall.

The Foreign Minister of Norway then made a speech rebuking the Ahhmadinejad speech.

Israel has recalled its Ambassador to Switzerland in protest to the Ahmadinejad reception in this country by the President.

Two other highlights for South Africans:

• Foreign Affairs Minister Dlamini Zuma addressed the conference. It was quite a balanced and comprehensive speech. She supported the Norwegian FM and mentioned the Shoah.
• A statement was read from President Mandela about the values of anti racism and the importance of this conference.

Some other developments on the 21st of April:

• The Czech Republic (Chair of the EU) has formally withdrawn from the DRC
• The accreditation of European Union of Students was revoked in response to their protests yesterday.

More detailed feedback about two events yesterday:

1. The Ahmadinejad speech (and the responses)
2. The Geneva Community’s Yom Hashoah event

Speech by Iranian President Ahmadinejad (20/4/09, 15:15)

Some interesting information about the Ahmadinejad speech yesterday:

It was a watershed moment of this conference in that it completely discredited the Human Rights and anti-Racism agenda that a conference of this nature should be holding dear, vindicating our concerns. That a head of state of a country with the atrocious human rights record that Iran is responsible is asked to be an introductory speaker of an anti Racism conference is a complete disgrace.

While I believe that the International Jewish Caucus and other Jewish Organisations responded effectively, and that there were many hard hitting international responses, it still does not detract from the offensiveness of this event.

To give you some further insights into the afternoon:

1. The Caucus worked with the students the night before in developing materials and a strategy to respond to the speech, politically, in terms of communications, media and student activity.
2. The students started the day by approaching people at the accreditation/registration tent to try and inform them of how the Ahmedinejad speech would threaten the values of the conference and encouraging a walk out.
3. The speech was included in the introductory governmental speeches, directly after UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s address.
4. As soon as he started demonising Israel, EU governments stood up and left the room, as did many NGO representatives. Of the 23 states that walked out, were Jordan and Morocco.
5. The clown that ran to the Iranian President during his speech was a European Union of Jewish Students member – he is now a celebrity.
6. Many students stood up and heckled from the gallery.
7. It should be noted that while there were walk outs, many of those that remained applauded the speech.
8. The President of the Commission rebuked those in the Plenary who had caused the commotion for this `disrespectful behaviour’.
9. Following on his departure from the conference hall he was the recipient of a major student protest (students with red clown noses and many powerfully messaged signs).
10. There was a further protest at his press conference. Unlike at Durban 1, the Jewish protesters (students) vastly outnumbered their opponents.
11. The Norwegian Foreign Minister heavily criticised his statements. Our Foreign Minister Dlamini Zuma praised the Norwegian FM for these words. She also said that `this is not a conference for racism or finger pointing’.
12. Israel has recalled its Swiss Ambassador in response to The Swiss President’s warm reception of Ahmadinejad.

Click "continue reading" to access the restof the report...

At the UN Statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the remarks by the President of Iran at the Durban Review Conference I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian President to accuse, divide and even incite. This is the opposite of what this Conference seeks to achieve. This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism. It is deeply regrettable that my plea to look to the future of unity was not heeded by the Iranian President. At my earlier meeting with him, I stressed the importance of the Conference to galvanize the will of the international community toward the common cause of fight against racism. I further stressed the need to look to the future, not to the past of divisiveness. In this regard, I reminded the President that the UN General Assembly had adopted the resolutions to revoke the equation of Zionism with racism and to reaffirm the historical facts of the Holocaust respectively. We must all turn away from such a message in both form and substance. We must join hands and work together to achieve a constructive, substantive agenda to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Geneva, 20 April 2009 Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on speech by President of Iran at Durban Review Conference The following comments may be ascribed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay: "I utterly deplore the speech of the President of Iran delivered this afternoon at the Durban Review Conference against racism. I condemn the use of a UN forum for political grandstanding. I find this totally objectionable. Much of his speech was clearly beyond the scope of the Conference. It also clearly went against the long-standing UN position adopted by the General Assembly with respect to equating Zionism with racism. The best riposte for this type of event is to reply and correct, not to withdraw and boycott the Conference." Geneva, 20 April 2009

Belguim  According to its Federal Foreign Affairs Service Belgium condemns without reserve the hateful and antisemitic statements of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his intervention today during the Durban Review Conference in Geneva. Minister De Gucht said, "This kind of statement is contrary to the aims and values of the United Nations. They are especially out of place when the UN Member States convene in Geneva to confirm their commitment to the fight against racism and discrimination." Therefore, as a sign of protest, Belgium left the hall during the Iranian President's speech. However, the United Nations should not be left to extremists. This is why Belgium decided actively to participate in the Durban Review Conference, and to voice its opinions there.

The Vatican Although members of a Vatican delegation objected to the Iranian president's remarks about Israel at a U.N. conference on racism, delegation members did not think walking out was the right response, said a Vatican official. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the chief Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva said it was important for people not to be distracted by the remarks of the Iranian president, whose comments attacking Israel prompted a walkout by dozens of diplomats. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told conference participants that, after World War II, Israel had "resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering." Western nations "sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine," he said. "And in fact, in compensation for the dire consequences of racism in Europe, they helped bring to power the most cruel and repressive racist regime in Palestine," he said. Archbishop Tomasi said much more significant than Ahmadinejad's speech were the real advances made in the draft conference document, which recognizes the Holocaust as something not to be forgotten and condemns anti-Semitism as well as intolerance against other religions. The text under consideration in Geneva has been revised in recent months, and the latest draft does not include references to Israel or Zionism.

Iran Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received an ovation at the UN conference on racism in Geneva on Monday after proposing that the veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council should be immediately abolished. He went on to say that steps should be taken to prevent racist forces like the Zionist regime from taking advantage of international political institutions to gain support. Zionism is the epitome of racism and has used the religious sentiments of uninformed people to hide its ugly nature, he added. He urged all free nations of the world to show determination and uproot Zionism. Ahmadinejad was the first delegate to address the conference after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks. Extract from report in The Teheran Times

Yom Hashoah Ceremony

As the sun was setting over Geneva yesterday, and as the Conference was reeling with the shock of the Holocaust denier Ahmadinejad’s offensive words, thousands of people gathered in the square in front of the Palais de Nations (headquarters of the UN) to commemorate the Holocaust.

In front of the Palais de Nations a row of flags of all represented countries forms a tunnel towards the square in front of it. In the middle of the square is a huge wooden chair with one leg missing – a memorial to those killed and maimed by landmines. In front of this magnificent setting was a large stage on which the ceremony was held.

Memorable moments of the three-hour event were:

• the magnificent Yizkor loudly proclaiming our grief outside the gates of the UN
• the impassioned speeches by Eli Wiesel, Irwin Cotler and French Philosopher Bernard Henri Levy
• A children’s choir singing the Partisans’ song as the crowd held up candles.

It was an opportunity to focus on the real issues of Human Rights and to mourn a time when these were completely forgotten.

Regards

WENDY

Comments

[Empress Trudy]

Norway wants to prosecute the entire last government as war criminals. So their criticism is worth less than nothing.

[Castor Troye]

Well done to the students, NGO's and Jewish groups that have turned this conference around and have saved Israel from another bashing.

One of the successes of the Palestinian lobby (in the past) has been the repitition of crowd pleasing mantras that have become more acceptable the more the lie has been repeated (repitition is the best form of argument). Simple slogans like "Apartheid Israel" have had an impact.

I found this quote from an Israel rally reported in jpost.com:

"protesters held a large sign that stated: "Zionism is our response to racism."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710763443&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

I think in turning the tables around, Jewish activists must also create a universal mantra that is simple to absorb but sums up an argument. I found this quote as a possible answer to an 8 year question. Any other suggestions...?

[John]

"The International Jewish Caucus is incensed that a man representing a country inflicting such grotesque human rights violations (besides his Holocaust Denial and `wipe Israel off the map’ statements) could be allowed to be one of the introductory speakers at a conference purporting to further the causes of Human Rights and opposing racism."

This comment gives more importance to Amedinajad's speech than it deserves. He was not the introductory speaker. As a head of state he was entitled to deliver a statement. If any other head of states were present they would also be entitled to deliver statements.