International rights bodies call on politicians to lead fight against intolerance and discrimination
WARSAW/STRASBOURG/VIENNA, 18 March 2008 - In a joint statement issued on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, three leading human rights agencies call on political leaders to assume their responsibilities in fighting intolerance and discrimination.
"Racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic political discourse is no longer the sole preserve of extremist political parties, but is to be found in the overall political culture in many states," warns the statement issued by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.
Racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim political discourse contributes to dehumanising individuals, denigrating certain ethnic, religious or cultural groups, perpetuating stereotypes, and creating a climate in which racist violence may flourish. Public perception of different minorities, cultures and religions as well as attitudes towards issues such as immigration, integration and the fight against racism are to a great extent influenced by political discourse.
"By speaking out against racist acts and incidents, political representatives can play a positive role in the promotion of mutual respect and understanding in society, and can have a significant impact in defusing tensions," the statement says.
In the joint statement, the three organisations condemn all discourse that spreads ideas of superiority on grounds of race, colour, language, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin. They call on political leaders and parties to deal responsibly with these sensible issues and refrain from providing simplistic explanations with racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim connotations to complex social, political and economic problems.
They also urge political parties to adopt concrete policies against all forms of intolerance in their party programmes, and to ensure fair representation of minorities at all levels of their party systems.
The full statement is available at: