UN walkout as Iran prez takes on Israel

Diplomats have walked out of a speech by the Iranian president at a UN anti-racism conference after he described Israel as a “racist government”. Two protesters, wearing coloured wigs, disrupted the beginning of the speech by Iranian president Ahmadinejad but he continued speaking.

Shortly afterwards a stream of Western delegates walked out when he attacked the creation of the state of Israel. France, whose ambassador walked out, described it as “hate speech”.

Some of those who stayed clapped as Ahmadinejad continued his speech. The walkout is a public relations disaster for the UN.

Ahmadinejad, the only major leader to attend the conference, said Jewish migrants from Europe and the US had been sent to the Middle East “in order to establish a racist government in the occupied Palestine”.

Israel, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy,  Netherlands and Poland had all boycotted the conference being held in Geneva, in protest at Ahmadinejad’s appearance and Israel recalled its ambassador to Switzerland.