United Nations officials announced Thursday that two Jewish groups and one Iranian group have been expelled from the Durban II conference in Geneva. The three organizations were expelled following “unacceptable behavior,” officials said.
The groups in question are the French Union of Jewish Students, Coexist, and the Iranian Neda Institute for Political and Scientific Research.
Officials declined to specify which actions led to the groups being removed from the conference. Members of the French Union of Jewish Students and Coexist were involved in haranguing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he attacked Israel in a speech on Monday. Protesters wore clown wigs and threw red clown noses at Ahmadinejad while shouting “racist” and “shame.”
A small group of Israeli students began yelling at Ahmadinejad during his speech as well. In a later protest, Jewish and pro-Israel protesters attempted to prevent Ahmadinejad from entering a news conference.
The Neda Institute distributed “inflammatory material” at the conference, UN officials said. The content of the material was not revealed.
The Jewish groups in question were not the only ones to protest Ahmadinejad. Representatives from more than 20 states left the hall as Ahmadinejad spoke on Monday, accusing Israel of using the Holocaust as a pretext to steal Arab land and create a “cruel and oppressive racist regime.” He also blamed “Zionists” for the international military offensives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and said “Zionism” had infiltrated world media and financial systems.
United Nations Chairman Ban Ki-Moon remained seated during the speech, but later criticized Ahmadinejad, saying, “I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian President to accuse, divide, and even incite. We must all turn away from such a message in both form and substance.”