The UN denounced a “sharp increase in hatred” in the world

Faced with a bleak global panorama, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced on Saturday a “sharp increase in hatred” in the world since the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel on October 7, and denounced the tendency to “dehumanize” both Jews and Palestinians. From the Americas and Asia to Europe and Africa, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic harassment has multiplied,” Türk warned in a statement. Along these lines, he exemplified: “Houses and religious buildings have been defaced with threatening symbols, along with other images and messages aimed at frightening and provoking hatred.” In this sense, the high commissioner remarked that world leaders expressed themselves with “inflammatory, toxic and hate-filled rhetoric,” and pointed out the division that this generated in society. “We are witnessing a sharp increase in hate speech, violence and discrimination, deepening social fractures and polarization. The impact of this crisis has been dramatic, regionally and globally,” he said. Both Jews and Muslims say they no longer feel safe, and this saddens me,” he added. He also stressed that international law is clear on the matter and that it prohibits “any advocacy of hatred on the grounds of nation, race or religion that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence.” Finally, Türk argued that governments must provide spaces for debate and said: “When tensions and emotions are running high, it is the law that must guide us in the protection of human rights.”

Original source in Spanish