In 2001 a conference sponsored by the United Nations – Durban I – was held in South Africa to combat racism. The opposite occurred. Israel was singled out and accused of being apartheid and racist, resulting in both the Israeli delegation and that of the United States walking out. Because of the blatant anti-Semitic flavor of the conference other nations have joined Israel and the US by distancing themselves from subsequent conferences – Durban II and Durban III. This year Durban IV takes place in New York in September and below is my email to the Minister of Foreign Affairs…
To the Minister for Foreign Affairs:
Dear Minister Mahuta Kia Ora,
I trust you are well and prospering.
I am writing to you to urge the NZ Government not to send a representative to the UN’s World Conference against Racism, known as Durban IV and set for this September 22 in New York. Although the original conference was supposed to combat racism it had the opposite effect, as the anti-Semites attempted to hijack the conference by comparing Zionism with racism and by calling Israel an apartheid state (It was at this first conference in 2001 that the accusation was first laid against Israel). Both Israel and the United States walked out of that conference. Because of its clear antisemitic intent, being hijacked by those wanting to gain political traction in maligning Israel as a pariah state, many nations have subsequently boycotted the conference including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland and the United States.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already stated that Australia will not be attending this year’s conference—“We will not associate Australia with one-sided and contentious language that singles out Israel”. The United States is joining him as the State Department spokesperson said: “The United States will not attend or participate in any events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action or the World Conference on Racism, which preceded it. The United States stands with Israel and has always shared its concerns over the Durban process’s anti-Israel sentiment, used as a forum for anti-Semitism.”
I urge you Minister to please follow logic and boycott such a hypocritically racist conference on racism.
Thank you for giving thought to my concerns.
God bless you,
Pastor Nigel Woodley Ph.D.
One Response
I wish to urge you not to send a delegate to the UN’s world conference known as Durbin 1V.
I note that in Aoteroa New Zealand we are currently considering laws such as the CriticalRace Theory and the anti conversion therapy. These legislations are intended to protect groups of people from discrimination.
IT WOULD BE AN AFFRONT TO OUR NATIONS INTEGRITY TO ON THE ONE HAND ENACT LAWS WITHIN OUR COUNTRY TO PROTECT GROUPS FROM DISCRIMINATION BUT THEN ON THE OTHER HAND TO SUPPORT ANTISEMETIC INTENT at an INTERNATIONAL EVENT.
We are being asked as teachers to UNTEACH RACISM in the classroom.
It would be DISHONSET to send a delegate to Durbin 1V