LETTER: Racism summit a joke

Assembling in New York on September 22 will be a gathering of like-minded, small-minded and, might one add, evil-minded delegates for another hate-fest called the Durban IV conference on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

No doubt, despite the ANC’s financial woes — not able to pay staff salaries, PAYE or UIF — it will be able to “source” funding to attend this conference. 

To their credit, more and more principled countries have given notice of boycotting this conference, and hopefully those still with a moral compass will follow suit. One certainty is that rogue states will attend in force, hiding their racism behind radicalism. Leading the pack will be the ANC delegation.

Previous “Durban” conferences have been attended by the likes of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ali Khorram, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, all leaders of “honourable standing” massaging each other’s egos. All guilty of discrimination, intolerance and worse, in one form or another, yet claiming the moral high ground.  

Will the Taliban, given its “unblemished” reputation of human rights violations and gender abuse, be welcomed at this summit? It seems, given the silence of any number of countries, that it will be welcomed with open arms and lauded as the great liberator of the day.

Don’t discount the UN electing the Taliban to the UN Women’s Rights Council. And don’t be surprised if SA’s foreign minister, herself a woman, supports such an appointment. After all, the ANC has declined to accept any Afghan fleeing the wrath of the Taliban. 

Calling out racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance is indeed a noble cause, but unless this is done with  honesty and without the hidden agendas that have dominated past sessions, such conventions are meaningless and an insult to the real victims of racism and intolerance.

Allan Wolman
Tel Aviv

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