In Parliament this week, CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE and CFI Vice Chairman Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers MP called on the UK Government to boycott Durban IV, the 20th anniversary commemoration of the 2001 UN Conference Against Racism, at the United Nations in September.
Mrs Villiers noted that “the 2001 UN Conference Against Racism in Durban degenerated into hatred, antisemitism and criticism of Israel that was excessive, disproportionate and unfair”.
She asked: “Will the UK Government boycott Durban IV, which marks the 20th anniversary of that disgraceful 2001 conference?”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK “will not support any partisan or political attacks on Israel” and underlined that the Government is “absolutely crystal clear in our condemnation of and opposition to any and all forms of antisemitism”.
In 2011, then-Prime Minister David Cameron boycotted the Durban III conference to mark the 10th anniversary, and the UK voted against the 31st December 2020 General Assembly resolution to convene Durban IV.
In his speech in the House of Lords debate on the Integrated Review, Lord Polak echoed calls for the UK not to attend Durban IV and urged the UK to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
He condemned Iran’s “intentional and malign efforts” to “sow disorder, enrich uranium, destabilise governments and sponsor extremists and terrorists throughout the region”.
Following Iran’s announcement that it had successfully enriched uranium to 60% purity last week, Conservative Parliamentarians including James Sunderland MP, Marco Longhi MP and Tom Hunt MP tabled written questions on the subject. CFI Vice-Chairman Andrew Percy MP asked if the Government plans to refer Iran’s non-compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Nuclear Deal to the United Nations Security Council.
