EUJS and Durban III

21 September 2011

The European Union of Jewish Students wishes to remind its NGO partners and governmental delegations that the original World Conference against Racism, of September 2001 was welcomed by all victims of racism as a unique opportunity for their voices to be heard. This promise is still unkept.

EUJS is fiercly determined to show its never-ending support for the struggle against racism. EUJS is proud to be sending representatives to a summit truly dedicated to this cause, in stark contrast to the Durban Declaration conferences. The WE HAVE A DREAM summit, a global NGO initiative placing urgent situations of discrimination and persecution on the international agenda, promoting human rights and democracy, and giving a voice to the voiceless, takes place in New York City just as world leaders commemorate the 2001 Durban conference, the very conference which so greatly disappointed the hopes of many victims.

EUJS will not give any legitimacy to the commemoration of such an event. The Durban conferences made space for anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish activists to attack and target our delegation both in September 2001 and March 2009. EUJS therefore abstains from participating in the 10 year anniversary.

EUJS strongly condemns the United Nations exclusion of the watchdog organisation UN Watch from attending and monitoring the Durban III conference, and implore UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay to denounce this act of discrimination.

We commend all countries who understand the true nature of this conference and therefore choose to not commemorate the Durban Declaration process, a process that included ugly displays of intolerance and anti-Semitism and presented a platform for murderers like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi. 

We as the European Union of Jewish Students wish to reach out to any individual, organisation and government sincerely determined to put an end to racism, intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia.

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