JERUSALEM (JTA) — The International March of the Living will protest a United Nations anti-racism summit with a gathering at a death camp the same day.
The organization is urging a boycott of the conference in Geneva, dubbed Durban II.
The annual March of the Living event on April 21 at the gates of Auschwitz will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II and the 60th anniversary of the ratification of the International Human Rights Declaration, according to a news release.
March organizers praised the United States for announcing that it would not attend the conference.
“This is a compelling moral position by the U.S. leadership, displaying that hatred and intolerance have no place in international discourse.” said Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, chairman of the International March of the Living. “We call upon all governments with conscience to follow suit and demonstrate the ultimate repudiation of genocide through participation in the March of the Living 2009 at Auschwitz.”
Irwin Cotler, a Canadian lawmaker and former Justice Minister, will lead the march of about 10,000 young people from around the world. Cotler, an internationally recognized human rights advocate, will leave conferences countering the anti-racism forum in Geneva, for the march. Honorary march co-chairs are Daniel Kurtzer, Lord Greville Janner, Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrahi, Tal Brody and Daniel Ayalon.
