[***Originally posted on the "antiracism@icare.to" listserv, Mod.***] EXTRACTS FROM DAILY NATION NEWSPAPER Oct 3-5, 2002 Racism row - Thursday 03, October-2002 Top: Delegates discussing yesterday's resolution after non-Africans were asked to leave the conference. Karen Dear a local journalist and one of those asked to leave the conference, in a heated discussion with an overseas delegates in favour of the motion. At centre is Member of Parliament Trevor Prescod. by Patience Ejimofor CONTROVERSY hit the first working day of the historic five-day African and African Descendants World Conference Against Racism at Sherbourne Conference yesterday when non-Blacks were asked to leave. It came in a motion from members of the 50-strong British delegation who felt they were misled by organisers into thinking they were attending a conference for Africans and African descendants only. unoq.ch "We told them emphatically that we don't want to be sitting down with no Europeans or Asians," said Kwaku Bonsu, a London disc jockey and black activist, "and they assured us that this is an African and African only event and that is why we came here." Several people rose to speak on the motion and more than three-quarters supported it. Emotions flared but chairman, Dr Jewel Crawford, managed to bring them under control by calling for a vote. More than 95 per cent of delegates summarily voted in favour. All non-Blacks were then asked to "leave quietly". A local, white interpreter tearfully walked out. She returned later, saying organisers had apologised to her. Bill Farrington, a freelance journalist from New York who was also asked to leave, said: "It made me sad and frustrated that I had come all this way for nothing . . . but when you attend such conferences, you learn just how strongly people feel about issues of racism." Chairman Crawford said: "The fact that white faces were less than ten that apparently didn't make a difference to a number of people they still felt they just wanted to have a meeting that was limited to African people, to black people . . . . A meeting of our own that was just specially for us and not inclusive of other people. "But at the same time I asked them to leave, I did encourage them to go on and form their own caucus, group." Prior to the vote, Senegalese Doudou Diene, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, hotly opposed the motion and threatened to walk out if it were approved. He warned that approving the motion could reverse the gains made at the Durban conference last year. "Durban has been one of the most successful conferences in the last 20 years. The conference in Durban has put the issue of racism and racial discrimination in a more holistic and global basis. It has put the issue of race in a historical perspective. Secondly, it has put the fundamental principles that the victims of discrimination, based on race, social status or gender face, also into perspective." He said there was a powerful anti-black group working to crush Durban and this would give them needed ammunition. "There is a strong, organised and deliberate campaign to weaken the final document of Durban. The campaign is really powerful, not only to wipe out the memory of Durban, but also to stop any kind of follow-up, so that the best thing for us to do in trying to give ammunition to the campaign to weaken Durban is to approve this motion." Head of the Pan African Commission David Comissiong said while he was not at Sherbourne at the time of the vote to expel non-Blacks, he felt the vote had been done democratically and there was nothing he could do. "I think it's very unfortunate; I don't think it's an issue that should have arisen at all. We were given an explanation that in England many of these delegates have had bad experiences with events such as these, where they have had people from other races being involved and they have had bad experiences. So we're told that that is the background out of which their position emerged." Some speakers argued that the conference was for black people to address their hurt. "How can they heal when the perpetrators are there?" said Dr Kuba Assegai of the United States. After the vote and discussion that followed, the conference resumed Counter punch - Friday 04, October-2002 Miriam Morales is hoping that the motion to expel non-Africans be reversed in a positive way. Next to her is intrepreter Margot Tuach. A NUMBER of delegates attending the African and African Descendants World Conference Against Racism at Sherbourne will today bring a counter-resolution against the one barring non-African participants. It is being spearheaded by the French-speaking delegates from Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, St Marteen and French Guiana, who threatened to leave yesterday after a resolution was passed on Wednesday barring non-Africans from attending. Wednesday's resolution was led by the British delegation who maintained that non-Africans and non-African descendants should be excluded. The Martiniquans refused to participate in any workshops yesterday, and later threatened to walk out. A motion against exclusion, drafted by Martiniquan, Malsa Garcin, the mayor of St Anne, was distributed to the Press. It stated in part: "We are committed in the fight against racism, exclusion, xenophobia and committed to fight for reparations in the spirit of Durban. We regret that the work conducted in the Barbados conference for reparation and against injustice, was inaugurated with a motion in favour of exclusion. "We reaffirm that we do not see a reflection of ourselves in this statement and procedures which are contrary to the principles leading our fight against all forms of exclusion, wherever they come from." Chairman of the central committee of the conference, Dr Jewel Crawford, told a Press conference she explained to the Martiniquans that the resolution reflected the view of the majority. She said interpreters were not included in the resolution, in which case the non-English-speaking group could still participate effectively in every deliberation. The frustration of the French-speaking Caribbean delegates peaked on Wednesday when their white interpreter was ejected from a workshop. "No Europeans are allowed in this room. The conference is for people of African descent. We're asking you to abide by our vote," a British delegate told them. After a heated exchange between the group, the chairman of the workshop, an interpreter, British and American delegates, they walked out and took their grievance to organisers. Yesterday, Cuban delegate Miriam Morales, through a white interpreter, Margot Tuach, said: "The reaction of Cuba is that we have requested at the plenary that this motion that excludes human beings who are fighting against racism and all manifestations of racism, be deeply analysed. "We are hoping that it be reversed in a positive way so that all people can now participate in the conference and it does not become one of exclusion, because we know that neither the Government nor people of Barbados, nor the conference organisers, feel that this conference should go down in history as [one] of exclusion, because exclusion is a manifestation of racism." No way!resolution to expel non-Africans stays put - Sat 05, Oct-2002 by Patience Ejimofor and Julie Wilson THE resolution to expel non-Africans from the historic African And African Descendants World Conference stands. Dr Jewel Crawford, chairman of the central organising committee, made the announcement last night following hours of deliberations earlier in the day at the Sherbourne Conference Centre. "The decision that was made after a long discussion was that the motion would stand and that the democratic process would be respected, and the motion for exclusion was from the majority," she said. Crawford said there were times when black people felt they wanted to meet among themselves and the decision of the majority was that as Africans and African descendants they had the right to do so. She offered an apology for any confusion to those who had travelled long distances to be at the meeting. The chairperson said she had acted fairly by asking hundreds of delegates present to reconsider their decision, but respected the fact that they were not inclined to overturn the motion. She told delegates they had to prepare themselves for the fallout as a result of their decision, but urged them to remain strong. Unconfirmed reports were that the Cuban, Haitian and South African delegations withdrew from the conference after the announcement was made. Earlier in the day Director of the Commission for Pan African Affairs, David Comissiong, called for unity and told delegates that the world was watching them. In his maiden speech to the conference, Comissiong also reminded them of the historical significance of the meeting, adding that the conference had many enemies who should not be allowed to distract from the real issues. "I'll want to let you know that the eyes of the world are on us . . . Let us put all our discord, dissension and so-called controversial issues behind us and press on to do the real work that will bring the conference to a successful conclusion on Sunday, and offer hope to all our people wherever they are," he said. "Victory is within our grasp. There are many enemies of this conference. You'll be foolish if you didn't understand that the enemies are not only outside, but within as well. "Let us keep our heads on. The only thing that can stop us from having a successful conference is if we allow the enemies from within the conference to come and sow confusion within the closing days." He said 550 delegates had registered for the conference. New York residents were calling in support, he added, declaring the conference the largest Pan Africanist gathering since that of the Marcus Garvey movement. "A comparison was made between what we're doing here and the 1945 Manchester Pan African congress. Those are the kind of hopes that some people are attaching to what we are doing here," Comissiong said. ========= World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) listserv ========= Send mail intended for the list to <wcar@hrea.org>. Archives of the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/wcar/markup/maillist.php To subscribe to the list, send a message to <majordomo@hrea.org>, with the following text in the message: subscribe wcar To unsubscribe from the list, send a message to <majordomo@hrea.org>, with the following text in the message: unsubscribe wcar If you have problems (un)subscribing, contact <owner-wcar@hrea.org>.
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