File Photo: Refugees seeking reunion with family members in Germany take part in a hunger strike in Athens, Greece, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
UNITED NATIONS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Tuesday warned against toxic political language against refugees as well as migrants and foreigners.
There is strong solidarity with refugees around the globe, but also hate speech of unprecedented scale, Grandi told the Security Council in a briefing.
"I have worked with refugees for well over three decades. I have seen in my career, in this field of work, much solidarity, even heroes in some of the responses that are provided on the ground," said Grandi. "But also in this three and a half decades, I have never seen (until recently) such toxicity, such poison in the language of politics, in media, in social media, even in everyday discussions and conversations around this issue -- toxicity that focuses, sadly, tragically, often on refugees, on migrants, on foreigners."
"That should be of concern to us all," he said, noting that the tragic shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the result of such toxic political language.
If unchecked, such toxic language will have grave consequences, Grandi told reporters later on Tuesday.
He asked to restate the values that underpin solidarity with refugees and reaffirm that societies will not be really prosperous, stable, and peaceful if they do not include all.