Focus on anti-Semitism – OSCE Representative on tolerance Gert Weisskirchen visiting Finland

Press release 189/2007
28 September, 2007

Gert Weisskirchen, Representative on combating anti-Semitism at OSCE is visiting Finland on 1-2 October. On his visit, Mr Weisskirchen is to meet Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva and representatives from the Finnish Jewish community and other religious communities. He will also have meetings at the Finnish Parliament.

One of the purposes of the visit is to discuss Finland’s work for tolerance and especially the fight against anti-Semitism during its OSCE presidency in 2008.

The Representative on combating anti-Semitism aims at making OSCE’s activities more widely-known and together with the human rights institutions of OSCE aims to support the OSCE participating states in implementing their commitments concerning tolerance and the principle of non-discrimination. The OSCE has worked widely to promote tolerance also on the practical level in the recent years. In the framework of combating anti-Semitism, education material has been developed, for instance. A report on hate crimes published this week in Warsaw reveals that hate crimes towards people who publicly practise their religion have increased. Most often such religion-related hate crimes are targeted against Jews and Muslims.

German Gert Weisskirchen was appointed as Representative on combating anti-Semitism in 2005. He is a social democratic member of the German Parliament and he has been appointed honorary professor at Potsdam University.

Further information: Second Secretary Ann-Mari Fröberg, Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force, tel. + 358 9 1605 5493 and +359 400 183 421, Head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force Aleksi Härkönen, tel. +358 9 1605 5496 and +358 400 330 406