Italy to boycott Durban 2

[oberliner]

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that his country would not participate in the international anti-racism conference in Geneva - known as 'Durban 2' – out of fears that the event was being used as an anti-Israeli forum.

Italy was one of a number of European Union members who expressed concerns in recent weeks that the international event would focus on censuring Israel and thus divert attention from the real problems of racial discrimination.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3681988,00.html

[Neo Atheist]

1. Good for Italy

This idiotic conference is being used by authoritarian Middle Eastern leaders to somehow get language into UN laws that equates mockery, insult, or derogatory statements of faith a crime against human rights (which is hideously disingenuous as anyone who's seen even five minutes of Iranian TV or the horrible filth Hamas puts out would see they are by far the most egregious offenders of this rule they seek).

And I wonder, will this conference against racism address the plight of minorities in countries like... I don't know... Sudan? Somalia? Saudi Arabia? Iran? Of course not.

[IndianaGreen]

2. IOW, Fascist Berlusconi to support his fascist brethren in Israel

Birds of a feather flock together.

[henank]

3. Childish name-calling

Fascist doesn't mean what you think it means.

[cali]

5. Yes, yes. Everyone who disagrees with hol.y you is a fascist

that gets old, dear.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. Actually, some of Berlusconi's supporters really are genuine fascists, IIRC.

I don' think he is himself, but he's in bed with them.

I'd have to look up the details, but if my memory serves, the self-proclaimed fascist party or at least their heirs are having a resurgence in Italy, and Berlusconi's govnerment is either overtly or tacitly allied with them.

[Neo Atheist]

8. What, exactly, is fascist about Israel?

Please "enlighten" all of us. You've got an avatar of Karl Marx, so I'm just going to assume even the Socialist parties in Europe are fascists to you.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Boycotting Durban II is a start. Next I hope the Italians will start boycotting Berlusconi!

[cali]

6. Italy will not be the only EU country to pull out

The Netherlands will almost certainly do so, as will others. And it's not just about Israel. It's about the sham of equating criticism of religion with human rights abuses (the cartoons again), and the refusal to acknowledge the oppression of gays and women.