New Zealand Joins the Forces of Light, to Boycott Durban III Hatefest
BERLIN - New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced on Friday that New Zealand will boycott the Durban III conference on September 22 because the anti-racism event is plagued by anti-Semitism.
In a statement issued to The Jerusalem Post on Friday, McCully said: “We remain concerned that the commemoration of the 2001 Durban Declaration could re-open the offensive and anti-Semitic debates which undermined the original World Conference. For these reasons, we have decided not to participate.’
He added that “New Zealand is fully committed to combating racism and we agree the UN should lead discussions on the elimination of racism. That is why we engaged constructively in the preparatory discussions in New York. However, in the end, the text is not one that we could support.’
The New Zealand Foreign Affairs Ministry statement said ‘New Zealand joins a growing list of countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Israel and the USA, that have also indicated they will not participate in the event.
New Zealand did not participate in the Durban Review Conference held in 2009.’
Thanks to the Kiwis for their support.
Sadly, France, Romania and Denmark, the last of which once held a special place in the hearts of Jews for its efforts to save its Jewish community during the Shoah, have decided that the world’s antisemites need more support, and will attend. Shame on them.