Volker Türk calls for an end to racism in sports

“The racist abuse that Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr. faced again in Spain last Sunday is a stark reminder of the pervasiveness of racism in sport,” said Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Wednesday.

At a press conference in Geneva, Volker Türk referred to the case of the Brazilian player who was repeatedly subjected to racist insults during his time in La Liga, which prompted an outcry from human rights advocates, even leading to the emergence of racist insults. A formal claim from the President of Brazil, Iñácio Lula da Silva, to the government of Spain during the recent G7 summit in Japan, which his country attended as a guest observer.

Türk called on sporting event organizers to implement strategies to prevent and combat racism.

He pointed out that three years ago, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the United States in a case that, due to its media coverage, brought those responsible to court, but that “a small amount of justice remains exceptional,” he said, because they continue to report deaths and injuries of descendants African ancestry during or after dealing with law enforcement agencies in different countries.

For Türk, in addition to the authorities’ hard and swift action to ensure justice in each case, the broader manifestations of systemic racism that permeate all aspects of the lives of people of African descent must be addressed.
He stressed that “more needs to be done to eliminate racial discrimination, and it must start by listening to people of African descent, intrinsically engaging them, and taking real steps to address their concerns.”

fountain – United Nations News

more information:

Center Information Center – general information on various topics