Delegates from 23 European Union nations and B’nai B’rith International’s contingent walked out on the United Nations Durban Review Conference speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, citing Ahmadinejad’s blatantly racist and anti-Israel language as the reason for the protest.
During his 30-minute speech, Ahmadinejad said that the foundation of the State of Israel rendered “an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering” in order “to establish a totally racist government in occupied Palestine.”
“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. It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defend those racist perpetrators of genocide.”
The European Union delegates who left during Ahmadinejad’s speech returned to the conference afterward.
The B’nai B’rith International delegation in Geneva, and President Moishe Smith, commend those who walked out of Ahmadinejad’s speech for their adherence to the spirit in which the conference was created and solidarity with Israel.
The conference, which is a follow-up to the 2001 United Nations World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, was meant to address those human rights issues and their violators. However, both the Durban Review Conference and its predecessor degenerated into anti-Israel summits. B’nai B’rith is pleased that a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, and Australia, have boycotted the conference, while others have refused to accept anti-Semitic or racist language.
B'nai B'rith International Honorary President and Head of BBI's 50-person delegation monitoring the proceedings of the U.N. Durban Review Conference in Geneva, Richard D. Heideman, stated: "We walked out as Ahmadinejad began to speak. We protest giving this human rights platform to the worst sponsor of terrorism in the world, who is an avid Holocaust denier and who makes it clear that Israel has no right to exist. He has been made the star of the show and it is disgraceful on these U.N. grounds. We will not dignify his presence nor listen to this violator of human rights. He makes a mockery of democracy, freedom, and the rights of those who cherish justice and equality."
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