The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, delivered a statement on Wednesday before a workshop geared to counter antisemitism, sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Geneva.
“Antisemitism is a scourge on our collective humanity,” he said. “It has left deep scars that are hard to heal. But we can—and must—learn from them.”
Türk said that “antisemitism still plagues our world—with damaging consequences for individuals and communities. From the Americas and the Asia-Pacific, from the Middle East to Europe and Africa, reports of attacks and hate speech have multiplied.”
The commissioner condemned the proliferation of bigoted statements and spoke of a need for thorough online content moderation.
“Inflammatory and toxic rhetoric has been used by irresponsible political leaders,” he said. “And the flood of hateful language, including on social media, is never-ending and abhorrent.”
Türk called for online platforms to “enforce content moderation policies in accordance with international human-rights standards.”
He said those who manage these sites “must have a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism. And they must listen to those most affected by online hate speech.”
The commissioner concluded by saying “antisemitism is not just an affront to Jewish communities; it is an assault on our collective humanity—breeding division, discrimination and violence. We all have a duty to eliminate it.”