End ‘tsunami of hate’ sparked by COVID, says UN Chief

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an all-out effort to end the “tsunami of hate and xenophobia” sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not name any specific country.

In a statement he said, “Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred.”

He also said that migrants and refugees have been blamed as a source of the virus and denied access to medical treatment.

Calling for an an all-out effort to end hate speech globally, Mr Guterres called upon the media to remove racist, misogynist and other harmful content.

Harmful health advice and snake-oil solutions are proliferating. Falsehoods are filling the airwaves. Wild conspiracy theories are infecting the Internet. Hatred is going viral, stigmatising and vilifying people and groups. Together, let’s reject the lies and nonsense out there. – Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General

He ended his statement by calling upon everyone to come together. “With common cause for common sense and facts, we can defeat COVID-19, and build a healthier, more equitable, just and resilient world”.