UN expert warns against ‘alarming rise’ in antisemitic hate speech amid pandemic

A United Nations expert warned against the alarming rise in antisemitic hate speech by “certain religious leaders and politicians” since the outbreak of coronavirus. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said that antisemitism and other forms of intolerance and discrimination must immediately be rejected.

“I am extremely concerned to see that certain religious leaders and politicians continue to exploit the challenging times during this pandemic to spread hatred against Jews and other minorities,” said Shaheed in a statement.

The UN expert, who had presented his report on combatting antisemitism to the UN General Assembly in October 2019, pointed towards “conspiracy theory” that claims Jews are responsible for developing and spreading COVID-19 to reduce the non-Jewish population. The Special Rapporteur highlighted the necessity to invest in preventive security measures and enact appropriate hate crime legislation.

“I also reiterate my call to for endorsement by States of the Working Definition on Antisemitism and for its use in compliance with international human rights law,” he added.

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'Remove contents inciting hatred'

Shaheed urged member states to work with Jewish communities and organisations to strengthen monitoring of hate speech or crimes. He said that signalling a zero-tolerance policy is imperative for the civil society organisations and faith-based actors. The UN expert called on the mainstream and social media to remove any posts that incite to hatred or violence in addition to identifying and reporting fake news.

“Countering online hate speech also will not succeed if the mainstream or social media do not take seriously the reports of cyberhate targeting Jews and other minorities," said Shaheed.

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Reports suggest that the coronavirus has impacted the marginalised and minority communities around the world in the worst way. United Nations Human Rights chief said on April 17 that LGBTI people are among the most vulnerable and marginalised in many societies which put most of them at risk from COVID-19.

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(Image source: Twitter / @JBI_HumanRights)