The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, made this Friday a worldwide appeal to curb and counter hate speech which has spread in parallel to the spread of the covid-19 pandemic.
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“We must act now to strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate. For this reason, today I ask that no effort be spared to eradicate hate speech throughout the world,” Guterres quoted in Efe, after warning that “the pandemic continues to unleash a wave of hatred and xenophobia, looking for scapegoats and fostering fear. “
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At a time when, according to the UN Secretary General, it takes “every last iota of solidarity” to face the pandemic, there has been an increase in “xenophobic sentiment on the internet and in the streets”, the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and there have been “attacks on Muslims in connection with the covid-19”.
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” Migrants and refugees have been vilified as a source of the virus, and immediately afterwards they have been denied access to medical treatment, “denounced the highest representative of the multilateral organization.
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He also regretted that they have emerged “despicable cartoons” about the elderly, who are among the most vulnerable victims, “suggesting that they are also the most expendable.”
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