Canada and North Korea attacked each other in a UN debate yesterday, after Ottawa objected to Pyongyang’s presidency this month of the UN’s arms control forum. North Korea falsely accused Canada of boycotting Durban I. See details below.
Meanwhile, UN Watch, the organization that first reported on and protested North Korea’s presidency, will be organizing a series of protest events on Tuesday in Geneva next to the Conference on Disarmament, as North Korea begins its term. The UN Watch events will include:
- Press conference at the UN together with North Korean defector Kim Joo-il, in cooperation with the group North Korean Gulag
- Silent vigil in the public square facing the UN, featuring drawings of a North Korean concentration camp hand-made by survivors
- Publication of a protest statement by an international coalition of 25 NGOs
Following are excerpts from yesterday’s UN summary of a GA meeting in New York. A video of the debate can be found here. The Canadian intervention begins at the 1hr 52 min mark and ends at 1 hr 60.
. Continue reading ‘Canada and North Korea attack each other in UN debate’
GENEVA – UN Watch commended Italy and Holland for pulling out of the UN’s September 22 commemoration of the 2001 Durban conference, a supposed anti-racism meeting that turned into a mass display of hate. The boycott announcements followed that of the Czech government yesterday. Canada, Israel and the US are also staying away from the “Durban III” summit.
The Geneva-based rights group called on other EU states and democracies worldwide to follow suit.
“The Durban process has been marked by ugly displays of intolerance and anti-Semitism, and that is not something that should be commemorated,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
“We are further concerned by the timing and venue, given that New York will have just held solemn ten-year memorials for those murdered in the September 11 terrorist attacks.”
“UN Watch is fully committed to combating discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry, and to promoting human rights for all. We call on all democracies to join us in opposing the attempts by dictators and bigots to use the Durban process to hijack this noble cause.”
See Italian and Dutch announcements below.
Continue reading ‘Italy and Holland pull out of UN’s Durban III conference on racism’
UN Watch commended the Czech government for announcing that it will stay away from the UN’s Sept. 22nd commemoration of the 2001 Durban conference, a supposed anti-racism gathering that turned into a global festival of hate. The Geneva-based rights group called on other democracies to follow suit.
“The Durban process was marked by ugly displays of intolerance and anti-Semitism, and that is not something that should be commemorated,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
“We are further concerned by the timing and venue, given that New York will have just held solemn ten-year memorials for those murdered in the September 11 terrorist attacks.”
“UN Watch, founded by US civil rights pioneer Morris Abram, is fully committed to combating discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry, and to promoting human rights for all. We oppose the attempts by dictators and despots to use the Durban process to hijack this noble cause.”
The government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was the first to announce it would not participate in the planned “Durban III” summit of world leaders, followed by Israel and the United States.
GENEVA — UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay, responding to a complaint by the UN Watch monitoring group, and ensuing global furor, issued an unprecedented statement about one of the UN Human Rights Council’s own officials, describing a caricature posted on his personal blog as “objectionable” and “anti-Semitic,” a form of hatred and racial discrimination that “I utterly deplore.” Click here for High Commissioner Pillay’s letter. Continue reading ‘NGO Thanks UN Rights Chief for Calling Official’s Cartoon “Anti-Semitic”’
Rt Hon David Cameron – Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London, SW1A 2AA
13th July, 2011
Dear Prime Minister
We are writing to raise our concerns about a cartoon that was posted by a UN Human Rights Council expert and American academic, Richard Falk, in his personal blog on 29th June 2011. The cartoon depicts a dog with “USA” written on his body and wearing a skullcap, urinating on a depiction of justice while devouring the bloody bones of a skeleton. Continue reading ‘British Minister & MP call on PM Cameron to condemn UN’s Richard Falk’
UN Watch to organize protest of North Korea’s presidency outside August session in Geneva
GENEVA — In advance of the expected announcement today by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird that Ottawa will boycott a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament, UN Watch issued the following statement:
“UN Watch salutes Canada for being the first country to denounce North Korea’s outrageous presidency of the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring group which first reported the story.
“The UN has a great role to play in ending the scourge of war, but it cannot be credible on peace and security when it asks the foxes to guard the chickens,” said Neuer. Continue reading ‘Canada to boycott UN-backed disarmament conference’
Breaking News: The US Endorses UN Watch’s Call for Richard Falk to be Fired
UN Watch salutes the US government for echoing our call for Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council’s expert on Palestine, to be fired. The US statement speaks of registering a protest with the UN. Only the 47-nation council can remove him, however, and the majority of that body has always embraced Falk. These 47 could have fired him in March, after Falk was castigated for his 9/11 conspiracies by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Instead, they reportedly renewed his mandate for another three years, without objection. Besides, the council doesn’t meet until September.
So who can take real action here? Clearly not Mr. Ban. On the contrary, Falk has attack him with impunity, recently posting a blog about the “Shameless Secretary-General.” No one in the UN human rights system objected, not even the NGOs.
Only one person’s voice carries real weight here: UN rights chief Navi Pillay. The Geneva-centered UN human rights system reveres the High Commissioner as the Catholic Church does the Pope. If she reprimands Falk, the word will ripple throughout the system. He would be shamed within the diplomatic and human rights communities, and would eventually have to resign. Let’s hope the US registers this protest not with the UN in abstract, but with Ms. Pillay’s office in particular. In our Wednesday letter to Pillay we anticipated and refuted her office’s dodge that they don’t pass comment on the council’s experts. We cited contrary precedents from Pillay’s predecessor, Louise Arbour, among others. If her banner of anti-racism is more than just words, Pillay most certainly can — and should — speak out.
And now Richard Falk apologizes — to Jews and animals:
Apology for Unintentionally Posting Anti-Semitic Cartoon in Qaddafi Arrest Warrant Blog
With apologies, I realize that the cartoon that originally appeared on my blog devoted to the arrest warrants for Qaddafi and two others issued by the ICC had strongly anti-semitic symbolism that I had not detected before it was pointed out to me. I posted the cartoon to express my view that double standards pertained to the American and ICC approach to international criminal accountability. As soon as I was made aware of the anti-semitic content of the cartoon I removed it from my blog, although initially I denied such a posting because I did not realize that it was anti-semitic and was mistaken as to what was being referred to. My intention has never been to demean in any way Jews as a people despite my strong criticisms of Israeli policies, and some versions of Zionist support. My interest and commitment has always been directed at finding a just and sustainable peace for both peoples, although I believe that this must be based on a belated recognition of Palestinian rights, and not on power relationships.
To be clear, I oppose any denigration of a people based on ethnicity, race, religion, stage of development, and believe in the human dignity of all people in their individual and collective identity. Beyond this, if we are to have a sustainable human future we must also make peace with nature, and treat animals with as much respect as possible. This is both a sacred imperative of my idea of a spiritual life, but also an integral aspect of species survival on an increasingly crowded, overheated, and endangered planet.
Returning to the cartoon, I regret my carelessness, and apologize for any unintended hurt and outrage caused thereby. At the same time, I am quite aware that many of the messages were motivated to discredit me due to my views of Israeli policies and behavior.
Speaking in US Congress just now, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen endorses UN Watch’s demand for UN rights chief Navi Pillay to condemn Richard Falk’s anti-Semitic cartoon (from 4:37):
“We should demand that the United Nations stop its relentless activities to demonize Israel and the Jewish people, and put our money where our mouth is. The most recent example of this bias is a cartoon posted by Richard Falk, which was apparently taken down just minutes ago, and the UN Human Rights Council has appointed Mr. Falk as an ‘expert’ to investigate and condemn Israel.
“And I’m sure that the viewers can see, or they can look it up on the internet, what this cartoon depicts. It depicts Americans and Jews as bloodthirsty dogs. And that is not the first time that Mr. Falk has spread such venom. He has compared Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to the Holocaust and questioned the veracity of the 9/11 attacks. But he continues to work for the UN Human Rights Council, with over 20 percent of his expenses and staff paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
“And has the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ever condemned Falk and demanded that he resign his UN post? Never. To the contrary, her office has published an attack by Falk on his critics. And, I understand that he says now that his account was hacked into, and he has taken that drawing down, but I say enough is enough.”
“The Administrative should withdraw from the biased Human Rights Council, and Congress should withhold funding from the Council and other UN bodies that do not advance our national security interests, and condition U.S. contributions on real reforms.”
Reaction: UN’s Falk Denies, Then Deletes Anti-Semitic Cartoon
After UN Watch today exposed his publication of an anti-Semitic cartoon, the UN Human Rights Council’s Richard Falk first denied publishing the cartoon—and then deleted it. See his blog here.
For those wishing to see a screen-capture of the original post prior to its deletion by Falk, please click here. And as of the sending of this briefing, Mr. Falk has still not deleted the cartoon from his blog’s image database. Continue reading ‘Timeline: Falk’s reaction’
So after he denied posting the anti-Semitic cartoon, Richard Falk has deleted it.
To see what Falk’s original post looked like with the cartoon:
- Click here for the Google cache. (This snapshot may not be registered forever.)
- Click here for a screen capture.
- Click here for the print-out as sent today to UN rights chief Navi Pillay (last page of the attachment)
After UN Watch’s protest was published, Richard Falk denied ever posting the anti-Semitic cartoon:
It is a complete lie. I know nothing about such a cartoon, and would never publish such a thing, ever.
Then he promptly deleted it and issued a non-apology apology. See the ridiculous exchange captured below, or on his blog. Continue reading ‘UN’s Falk denies posting anti-Semitic cartoon, then deletes it’
GENEVA, July 6 – UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitoring group, today called on UN rights chief Navi Pillay to condemn the publication of an anti-semitic cartoon by Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council’s expert on Palestine.
“For the UN human rights system to be credible in the fight against racism, its own representatives must not be allowed to incite hatred and racial discrimination with impunity,” wrote UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, in a letter sent today to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Depicting Jews as dogs and bloodthirsty has a dark history,” said Neuer. “We urge Ms. Pillay to condemn this incitement to racism by a UN rights official, and to demand that Mr. Falk immediately remove the offending caricature and apologize.”
The full letter follows below. Continue reading ‘NGO Urges UN Rights Chief to Condemn Official’s Anti-Semitic Cartoon’
Speaking yesterday at a Geneva press conference, UN General Assembly president Joseph Deiss said that it would be “impossible” for the Palestinians to “circumvent the Security Council and go directly to the GA” to become a UN member state. “I don’t want to create false hopes on this,” he added. Continue reading ‘UN: “Impossible” for Palestinians to circumvent Security Council on statehood resolution’
REMARKS BY UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON TO THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (AS RELEASED BY THE UNITED NATIONS); WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011
SEC.-GEN. BAN: It is a great pleasure to address the Conference on Disarmament. Thank you for welcoming me for the third time since I took office.
I am here to express my confidence in the great potential of this body to play a catalytic role in advancing the disarmament agenda.
But I am also here to make a fresh appeal to you to live up to that potential – and to meet the expectations of the international community.
In the past several years, we have built important momentum — hard-won momentum on which we can and must build.
The next few years will be critical. We can push forward on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, or risk sliding back.
This is why disarmament and non-proliferation are among my top priorities for the year ahead. As I told the General Assembly two weeks ago, if we are to build on the current momentum, we need even more concrete action than we have achieved to date. Continue reading ‘UN chief: Conference on Disarmament is the “undisputed home of international arms control efforts”’
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