Ahmadinejad jeered at anti-racism conference

[jefferson_dem]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- The opening of a United Nations conference in Switzerland on anti-racism was marred by chaotic scenes Monday as protests and a walkout by delegates disrupted a controversial address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The presence of the Iranian leader at the conference had already prompted Israel to withdraw its ambassador from Switzerland, while several countries including the United States are also boycotting the gathering.

Dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber as Ahmadinejad accused Israel and the West of making "an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering ... in order to establish a totally racist government."

He said Zionism, the Jewish national movement, "personifies racism," and accused Zionists of wielding economic and political resources to silence opponents. He also blasted the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Protesters in brightly colored wigs interrupted Ahmadinejad as he began to speak, shouting: "You're a racist!" in accented English.

But some delegates cheered, while security officers dragged at least two protesters from the chamber.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Ambassador Ilan Elgar home to protest a meeting between the Swiss president and Ahmadinejad, Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The meeting of a president of a democratic country with a notorious Holocaust denier such as the Iranian president, who has openly declared his intention of wiping Israel off the map, is not in keeping with the values represented by Switzerland," the ministry said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/20/racism.conference/index.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Good. He's batshit crazy. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. French ambassador walks out

Diplomats have walked out of a speech by the Iranian president at a UN anti-racism conference after he described Israel as a "racist government".
...
Shortly afterwards a stream of Western delegates walked out when he attacked the creation of the state of Israel.

France, whose ambassador walked out, described it as "hate speech".
...
The walkout is a public relations disaster for the United Nations, which had hoped the conference would be a shining example of what the UN is good at - uniting to combat injustice in the world, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8008572.stm

[Bacchus39]

4. sounds like a circus n/t

s

[sledgehammer]

3. It's really unfortunate that Iran has this moron for a leader

The US and Iran could be great allies if they put some of the past behind them. But thanks to Dubya's "axis-of-evil" crap and cowboy attitude, and with Ahmadi-nut-job (as Leno calls him) being such a total jerk, things aren't looking too bright.

This recent episode makes it even more difficult now for Obama to try to engage Iran. Obama has been more than willing to have Iran take its place in the community of nations. But Ahmadinejad is really effing things up.

[bemildred]

5. I was wondering if he may have shot himself in the foot for good this time. nt

[sledgehammer]

6. Internationally? Yes.

Domestically? Possibly. Most Iranians are quite interested in normalized relations with the West, even if they are against Western policies. They know that Ahmadenijad is just screwing their hopes over.

And domestically, he has been a bit of a hardliner when it comes to social freedoms.

Here's his #1 contender for the June elections:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir-Hossein_Mousavi

I hope Iranians vote him in, it would be great to have a reformist candidate in power. Don't expect overnight changes or radical changes to their policies, but you will see more willingness from other govts to deal with Iran on equal footing.

[bemildred]

7. Domestically is what I was thinking of.

I'd really like to see him replaced with someone less "theatrical".