UN kicks Jewish, Iranian groups out of racism meet

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The United Nations is expelling three Jewish and Iranian groups from a global racism conference for "unacceptable behavior." UN spokesman Rupert Colville said the groups whose passes are being withdrawn are the French Union of Jewish Students, Coexist, and the Neda Institute for Political and Scientific Research. Colville told reporters Thursday that members of the first two groups had been involved in disrupting the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Neda Institute from Iran had distributed inflammatory material to meeting participants. The week-long conference has been overshadowed by Ahmadinejad's accusation that the West used the Holocaust as a "pretext" to harm the Palestinians, and for subsequent protests against him.