MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UNHCHR joins condemnation of racist chants against Vinicius Jr

Türk also criticized all those who use racist remarks to pursue their own ends

The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Völker Türk Wednesday joined the list of those condemning Real Madrid Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr being called “a monkey” during a Spanish First Division clash with Valencia last weekend.

Read also:Lula supports Afro-Brazilian footballer dubbed “a monkey” in Spain's La Liga match

This situation “recalls the prevalence of racism in sport,” said Türk during a press conference. He then called on “those who organize sporting events” to “implement strategies on the ground” to “prevent and counteract” racism in the sporting world. Türk insisted “people of African descent” should be “heard” and “involved” in the decision-making process of measures against racism in order to take “real steps to address their main concerns.” Türk also offered sports federations a guide on how to implement human rights standards and the fight “against stigmatization, racism or discrimination against the LGTBI community.”

The UN official also linked the Vinícius Júnior episode to the murder three years ago of George Floyd in the USA. “It is clear that the problem of police brutality against people of African descent will not be solved until we deal with the broader problem of systematic manifestations of racism that permeate every aspect of our lives,” Türk stressed.

He also condemned “hate speech” fueled “by political and religious leaders who use populism and repression” as well as the growing discrimination against refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable groups.

“This situation is developing in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Greece, or Lebanon, and it is particularly worrying that some laws seem designed to limit people's ability to seek asylum and other forms of protection,” Türk underlined.

He also pointed out that local authorities sometimes seek to ”penalize those who help them, or return them (to their places of origin) in illegal, undignified and unsustainable ways.“

Türk recalled that the Declaration of Human Rights, which is 75 years old this year ”clearly recognizes the right of all persecuted people to seek and obtain asylum, so solidarity is needed to ensure that all vulnerable people are treated with humanity and respect.“ He added that hate speech and narratives against migrants and refugees proliferate in various parts of the world, along with those directed against women, people of certain religious faiths, belonging to certain ethnicities, or LGBTIQ people.

These hate speeches ”are fueled by disseminators of lies and misinformation, and also by political and religious leaders who use populism, repression and the debasement of entire segments of society in order to achieve power and influence,” Türk said.