Durban - The festival of hate
The Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, was meant to be a landmark event—the first international human rights gathering of the 21st century—taking place in a newly post-apartheid South Africa.
But anti-Israel dictatorships had something else in mind. Arab and Islamic states, led by Iran, Libya, Syria, and Iraq, along with thousands of radical activists who descended upon Durban, hijacked the conference.
What was meant to be a conference against racism turned into a conference of racism—against Israel and the Jewish people.
Incitement to hatred was everywhere. The conference’s NGO Forum declared Israel a racist, apartheid state guilty of genocide.
The Arab Lawyers Union distributed antisemitic cartoons and leaflets. On sale was the notorious 19th-century antisemitic tract The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Thousands marched in a Palestinian-led demonstration, carrying signs that read, “Hitler should have finished the job.” Jewish human rights activists and students were physically intimidated and threatened. The conference’s final declaration singled out Israel alone as an alleged perpetrator of racism.
That was Durban I.
Eight years later, in 2009, the UN held a follow-up—the Durban Review Conference. Qaddafi’s Libya was made chair of the planning committee, and Iran’s president, Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust denier, was the opening speaker. Ten countries did the right thing and pulled out, including Canada, the U.S., Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Three years later, in 2011, the UN held an event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Durban Conference. This time, 15 countries pulled out, including France, the UK, and Austria.
In September 2021, the UN once again convened heads of state in New York to mark the 20th anniversary of Durban. But no one should legitimize a process so tainted by hate and antisemitism. That is why the U.S., Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and others did not attend.
“For many observers, the “Durban Strategy” marked the coming-out party for a “new anti-Semitism.” Unlike more traditional forms of anti-Semitism, which were by nature more overtly religious or racial in their blatant discrimination towards Jews, new anti-Semitism conceals the millennia-old hatred in a contemporary package, one better suited for a 21st-century audience. This anti-Semitism exploits the language of universal human rights and civil society, with NGOs publishing false and distorted allegations regarding Israel, and creating and maintaining double standards that apply only to a single country. New anti-Semitism goes well beyond any notion of legitimate criticism of Israel and its policies, and instead promulgates hateful vilification of the country, its people, and its Jewish character.
The impact Durban has had on the Jewish world can also be seen in the strategies adopted in response. Following Durban, the organized Jewish community, and later the Israeli government, recognized the threat of “soft power” warfare, in the form of BDS, “lawfare,” and related campaigns. As a result, a major amount of energy and resources have gone into debunking the political attacks against Israel and its supporters.”
What can you do?
Tell the story of Durban. Make everyone aware that the NGO space was hijacked and militarized by jihadists.
Expose harmful NGOs. Follow the money using resources like NGO Monitor.
Create your own NGO, or join an existing one, and influence from within.