Germany and France boycott UN racism conference because of anti-Semitism allegations

Germany did not take part in a controversial UN meeting to combat racism in New York. “The Durban Process, whose goal of combating racism we support, has unfortunately been a platform for anti-Semitic statements in the past,” said the Foreign Office. The event was held against the backdrop of the adoption of the so-called Durban Declaration 25 years ago.

Among other things, the declaration formulates an international framework for action against racism. However, the first anti-racism conference in South Africa in 2001 was overshadowed by serious conflicts: in Durban, Palestinians and Syrians attacked Israel as a racist state that violated the human rights of Palestinians. The Israeli and US delegations then left Durban in protest. The follow-up events were also accompanied by controversies surrounding anti-Semitism and dealings with Israel.

France also cancels participation

“The Federal Government repeatedly criticized anti-Semitic incidents surrounding the Durban conference in 2001 and in subsequent review conferences and for this reason did not take part in the review conferences,” said the Foreign Office. France and other countries had also canceled the event in the past.

At the event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a more determined fight against racism and discrimination. “As we see around the world, racism continues to poison societies, exacerbate inequalities and deprive people of their basic rights and freedoms,” he said. Several speakers also called for greater reappraisal of historical injustices and forms of reparative justice.

Israel had mobilized against the event in advance. Many other states stayed away from the meeting. The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, wrote on Platform X about a “disgraceful memorial event”.