GENEVA (AP) 鈥 The U.N. human rights chief warned Wednesday about rising hatred and discrimination around the world in a 鈥渕ega-year for elections,鈥 calling on voters to put rights of others in mind when they cast their ballots.
Volker T眉rk made the call with major elections looming in places like and this week, and in the and later this year. Immigrants, refugees and other foreigners have been 鈥渟capegoats鈥 for some political parties, he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 always worried when I hear narratives that denigrate the other, that dehumanize the other, that makes scapegoats of migrants, of refugees, of asylum seekers, of minority groups,鈥 T眉rk said.
He blasted the 鈥減olitics of distraction鈥 and said political leaders needed to stand up against the discourse of hate.
鈥淗istory tells us, in particular in Europe, that the vilification of the other, that the denigration of the other is a harbinger for worse to come,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an alarm bell that we need to ring.鈥
鈥淓specially in this year, which is the mega-year for elections,鈥 he noted the United States, India, Europe and beyond have experienced electoral seasons 鈥渢hat often lead to a speech of hatred and dehumanization of the other.鈥
He insisted in general that there must be 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥 for hate speech and rejected any attempts to denigrate 鈥渢he other.鈥
