U.S. Statement on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination

Delivered Sept. 19 at OSCE Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting

Authorities in all countries must speak out swiftly, clearly, and
forcefully against intolerance and discrimination to protect
individuals from hate-filled segments of society, according to
American diplomat Joseph Presel.

Presel, a member of the U.S. delegation to the Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, made the statement September 19 at the OSCE
meeting in Warsaw.

Following is the text of the statement:

Warsaw

September 19, 2001

TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION

Statement by Ambassador Joseph Presel, U.S. Delegation to the OSCE
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting

Intolerance and discrimination persist in every one of the OSCE
participating States. Every one of them, including my own. Sometimes,
they manifest themselves in the form of words: expressions of hatred
against Roma. Or Jews. Or Muslims. Other times, they show themselves
in the form of actions, such as violent attacks by skinheads against
individuals from minority groups.

In the face of manifestations of intolerance, authorities have certain
responsibilities. First and foremost, they must speak out against
intolerance and condemn those who discriminate in word or action. This
year there was a swift, clear, and admirable response by the Romanian
Government to General Mircea Chelaru's participation in unveiling a
bust of Marshal Ion Antonescu, Romania's wartime dictator, convicted
war criminal, and symbol of anti-Jewish and anti-Roma bigotry. I
encourage the Romanian Government to give greater meaning to its
stated commitment to reject ethnic hatred and intolerance by removing
all statues of Antonescu from public lands, including those at the
Jilava prison and in Slobozia, Piatra Neamt, and Letcani.

In Hungary, certain political figures continue to make anti-Semitic
statements. Most recently, Istvan Csurka and others criticized the
purchase of part of football club Ferencvaros by a company controlled
by Hungarian Jews as a crime against the nation. Racist slogans were
chanted and anti-Semitic posters displayed at a match involving the
team shortly thereafter. It is in these instances that politicians
need to speak out and issue clear, categorical condemnations of such
intolerance.

In Ryazan, Russia, last September, city officials were reluctant to
condemn an attack on a Jewish school. In the same city, again, this
year, there was an attempt to burn down a synagogue. We encourage a
full investigation and prosecution of those involved in this crime.

Police also have a special role in addressing acts of intolerance.
Across Europe, vicious racially-motivated attacks by street thugs and
skinheads against foreigners have become frequent. These incidents are
too rarely investigated by the police.

Authorities also have a responsibility to protect individuals from the
desire of some hate-filled segments of the public to do harm to
others. But in the cities of Banja Luka and Trebinje in the Republika
Srpska entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, mobs attacked people who sought
to lay foundations for new mosques on the ruins of those destroyed by
the insanity of ethnic cleansing. There were indications of actual
police collaboration. Concerns about intolerance in Republika Srpska
are made more acute by the continued difficulties non-Serbs have in
returning to their original homes, and the dismal record of that
entity's cooperation in apprehending individuals indicted for war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Tolerance and nondiscrimination have proven to be in short supply in
Kosovo. In the past year, murderous attacks on Serbs, Roma, and other
minorities have continued. Kosovar Albanians endured more than a
decade of cruel repression and discrimination. They now need to break
the cycle of violence by condemning intolerance and punishing those
responsible for specific acts.

Public officials sometimes respond to hatred in a society by outlawing
extremist expressions. Tempting as that may be, it violates a
fundamental freedom - free speech - and can be easily abused to target
those innocently expressing their identity or asserting their rights.
In Turkey and Uzbekistan, such expressions are perceived as a threat
to the state. Repressing free speech is not only wrong, it is also
counterproductive. Indeed, the decades of communist suppression of
nationalist sentiments did not eliminate extremist views but allowed
them to build up and explode in fuller fury when the one-party state
disintegrated. People should not be persecuted for mere expressions of
national identity. Radical views should be met in the marketplace of
ideas and should be countered in public debate.

I noted at the outset of my remarks that the problem of intolerance
faces all of our countries. In my own country, in the aftermath of
last week's horrific terrorist attack, we are beginning to hear
accounts of acts of intolerance aimed at Muslims, Arabs, and others
including a shameful and cowardly act of murder. President Bush spoke
out immediately and forcefully against these acts. Let me quote his
words: "In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each
other with respect." "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our
citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our
country. ... They must be treated with respect." President Bush also
said that hatred and intolerance "should not and will not stand in
America." It should not stand in any OSCE participating state, or
anywhere else in the world and I urge that all leaders stand together
against it. The United States would like to associate itself with the
remarks of Ambassador Stoudmann in connection to acts of intolerance
in the wake of attacks in the United States. We support his
initiative.