Western politicians, media scapegoating migrants for elections: UN
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The UN High Commissioner describes the Western countries' blaming of migrants for electoral campaigns as a 'distract and divide' tactic.
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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech at the opening of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 9, 2024. (AFP)
Some Western politicians and media are using migrants and minorities for scapegoating during their electoral campaigns, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Monday.
"There are those politicians, amplified by some media outlets, who scapegoat migrants, refugees and minorities, as we have seen for example around electoral periods in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, to name a few," he said at the opening of the 57th Regular Session of Human Rights Council.
"They capitalize on anxiety and despair, pitting one group against the other. And they seek to distract and divide. History has shown us that hateful words can trigger hateful actions," Turk added.
The diplomat highlighted that society is littered with racism and racial discrimination reinforced by "entrenched" power structures, and integrated interests and stereotypes that stem from legacies of colonialism and enslavement.
Although there is some progression on the matter, socio-economic prejudices are rooted in "far too many" countries around the world, Turk added.
French human rights groups warn of soaring racism amid right-wing rise
At the end of June, ahead of the snap elections, Human rights organizations in France raised serious concerns over a dramatic rise in racist sentiments within the country, attributing much of the blame to the right-wing National Rally (NR) party.
A survey conducted by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) evaluates the NR's role in promoting nationalism through anti-immigration policies.
According to the CNCDH report released on Thursday, there has been a significant decline in the index of tolerance for the second consecutive year, a trend described as "substantial and rare."
The report noted that this decline is closely linked to a rejection of multiculturalism in France, with immigrants, especially Muslims, often portrayed in media as a "threat" to the nation.
Shockingly, more than half of those surveyed (51%) expressed feeling increasingly unwelcome in their own country, with 56% believing there are too many immigrants in France.
"For several years, the National Rally has benefited from an increased audience at the polls, but also in the media and institutions… there is a whole group of media figures and intellectuals who give voice and try to impose their ways of seeing immigration and diversity," the report stated.
In 2023 alone, the Ministry of the Interior recorded a staggering 8,500 racist crimes or offenses—a 32% increase from the previous year—with immigrants disproportionately affected.
CNCDH President Jean-Marie Burguburu condemned the scapegoating of immigrants for societal challenges as he stressed that intolerance and hate speech are on the rise despite France's overall high tolerance index.
The CNCDH report criticized the French government's role in fueling tensions, particularly during debates over recent asylum and immigration laws, which human rights groups have labeled as some of the most repressive in decades.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
