Civil Society Forum organizer complains of Jewish conspiracy against DRC
Jan Lonn, head of the Swedish-based World Against Racism Network, is active in many radical NGO activities. Lonn has recently implied that Jewish groups sabotaged the DRC in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) saying “there has been very strong opposition from some NGO circles, some interest groups, against the Durban Review Conference.”
The Jewish conspiracy against Durban II (No, seriously), Michael J. Jordan, JTA, April 28, 2009
“If you Google ‘Durban and racism,’ you see who’s behind 90 percent of the efforts,” Jan Lonn, Swedish coordinator of the Civil Society Forum, said here last week. “It’s not a secret, and everybody knows.” Asked by JTA if he was referring to Jewish groups and pro-Israel commentators, Lonn replied, “You know this very well, as your media has been frequently reporting on criticism.”
Lonn was behind an NGO movement lobbying for an NGO Forum at the Durban Review Conference but as a fringe actor, Lonn’s efforts were ignored and a second NGO Forum was not created so as to avoid a replay of the notorious anti-semitic NGO Forum in Durban.
Instead he created the Civil Society Forum - an informal side event - claiming to represent all of civil society but focusing on a narrow list of issues including the “Plight of the Palestinian People and fragmentation of their rights“. A website and flyer promoting the event would not name the organizations involved. The Civil Society Forum included a speech from Ramsey Clark, former US attorney general and left wing activist who has accused Israel of “genocide”. The Civil Society Forum also organized a protest in support of the DRC which was endorsed by Ittijah and Badil, two NGOs which regularly use the UN forum to demonize Israel.
With such an agenda for civil society participation in the DRC it’s no wonder Lonn was disturbed by efforts to discredit the event.
