SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A migrant child from the Moria camp in Lesbos island wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus waits for a bus after their arrival at the port of Piraeus on May 4, 2020 in Athens, Greece. Greek authorities are moving 400 migrants, mostly families, to the mainland to help ease overcrowded conditions at the camp Moria in Lesbos island. (Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
UN Chief Warns Against Global 'Tsunami of Hate and Xenophobia' Unleashed by Covid-19
The fresh statement from the United Nations secretary-general is an appeal to "strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate."
May 08, 2020
The coronavirus crisis has set off "a tsunami of hate and xenophobia," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Friday, as he issued a global appeal to "defeat hate speech and Covid-19 together."
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets," said Guterres. "Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred. Migrants and refugees have been vilified as a source of the virus--and then denied access to medical treatment."
\u201c#COVID19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe.\n\nYet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.\n\nThat\u2019s why I\u2019m appealing for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally.\u201d— Ant\u00f3nio Guterres (@Ant\u00f3nio Guterres) 1588911740
The U.N. chief also decried the "contemptible memes" that have erupted alongside the virus that suggest older people are "the most expendable."
"And journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers, and human rights defenders" he continued, "are being targeted simply for doing their jobs."
Guterres said it was possible to "strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate" and pointed to actions various stakeholders and pollcy makers could take.
Political leaders, he said, should "show solidarity with all members of their societies" and work to boost "social cohesion." Guterres called on social media networks to rid their platforms of "racist, misogynist, and other harmful content."
People everywhere, Guterres added, must "take every opportunity to spread kindness."
The new statement follows Guterres's warning last month that the pandemic was fast becoming a human rights crisis.
"Against the background of rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism, and a pushback against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic," Guterres said in April. "This is unacceptable."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The coronavirus crisis has set off "a tsunami of hate and xenophobia," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Friday, as he issued a global appeal to "defeat hate speech and Covid-19 together."
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets," said Guterres. "Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred. Migrants and refugees have been vilified as a source of the virus--and then denied access to medical treatment."
\u201c#COVID19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe.\n\nYet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.\n\nThat\u2019s why I\u2019m appealing for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally.\u201d— Ant\u00f3nio Guterres (@Ant\u00f3nio Guterres) 1588911740
The U.N. chief also decried the "contemptible memes" that have erupted alongside the virus that suggest older people are "the most expendable."
"And journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers, and human rights defenders" he continued, "are being targeted simply for doing their jobs."
Guterres said it was possible to "strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate" and pointed to actions various stakeholders and pollcy makers could take.
Political leaders, he said, should "show solidarity with all members of their societies" and work to boost "social cohesion." Guterres called on social media networks to rid their platforms of "racist, misogynist, and other harmful content."
People everywhere, Guterres added, must "take every opportunity to spread kindness."
The new statement follows Guterres's warning last month that the pandemic was fast becoming a human rights crisis.
"Against the background of rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism, and a pushback against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic," Guterres said in April. "This is unacceptable."
The coronavirus crisis has set off "a tsunami of hate and xenophobia," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Friday, as he issued a global appeal to "defeat hate speech and Covid-19 together."
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets," said Guterres. "Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred. Migrants and refugees have been vilified as a source of the virus--and then denied access to medical treatment."
\u201c#COVID19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe.\n\nYet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.\n\nThat\u2019s why I\u2019m appealing for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally.\u201d— Ant\u00f3nio Guterres (@Ant\u00f3nio Guterres) 1588911740
The U.N. chief also decried the "contemptible memes" that have erupted alongside the virus that suggest older people are "the most expendable."
"And journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers, and human rights defenders" he continued, "are being targeted simply for doing their jobs."
Guterres said it was possible to "strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate" and pointed to actions various stakeholders and pollcy makers could take.
Political leaders, he said, should "show solidarity with all members of their societies" and work to boost "social cohesion." Guterres called on social media networks to rid their platforms of "racist, misogynist, and other harmful content."
People everywhere, Guterres added, must "take every opportunity to spread kindness."
The new statement follows Guterres's warning last month that the pandemic was fast becoming a human rights crisis.
"Against the background of rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism, and a pushback against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic," Guterres said in April. "This is unacceptable."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.