Monday, April 20, 2009

Ahmadinejad Sparks Walk Out at 'Racism Conference' After Calling Israel 'Cruel And Repressive Racist Regime'

In what should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to this, the UN's 'Durban II' conference on racism was a forum to denounce Israel. The United States pulled out of the conference and did not attend it (Berman Post: US to Pull Out of UN's 'Durban II': "UN's 'Durban II'"), after looking like it would not (Berman Post: $900 Million for Gaza?).

Australia was among those that boycotted the conference (http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2009/fa-s090419.html), as did Germany (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQw60Mb0-dZwXSMTfTWaPLiGbqhwD97LOEDO0), Netherlands (http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/Netherlands-refuses-to-attend-UN-racism-conference_51744.html), Sweden (http://www.thelocal.se/18946/20090418), and New Zealand (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2346841/NZ-won-t-attend-racism-conference).

When the Holocaust denying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being "cruel and repressive racist regime" set up on the "pretext of Jewish suffering" (you know, from the Holocaust which he does not believe happened) on Holocaust remembrance day (which is today), Western Delegates walked out. Diplomats from more than 30 countries walked out.

Before that Ahmadinejad's speech had been interrupted by protesters wearing colorful clown hair/wigs who threw soft red balls at him. It did not appear that any hit him. The clip shows both.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.whnt.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-un-un-racism-conference,0,125788.story)



More at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6132972.ece and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1172069/Dozens-diplomats-storm-UN-race-conference-Iranian-president-condemns-Israels-cruel-regime--Holocaust-Remembrance-Day.html.

Officially the US administration called the speech "vile and fed racial hatred" but also said that it did not preclude talks between the US and Iran(http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3704059,00.html).

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