RESOLUTION NO. 921481
On the anti-foreigner and anti-Semitic violence in
Germany.
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council are dismayed at the
violent acts against foreigners and Jews that have been occurring with increasing
frequency throughout Germany, including the over 1,500 criminal acts which have
been committed against foreigners in the last 11 months; and
WHEREAS, today in Germany there are 40,000 active
right wing extremists, including 6,500 neo-nazis, whose growing strength and
organization is alarming as they seek legitimacy within the German political
system; and
WHEREAS, memory of the tragic past strengthens our
conviction that this kind of violence can not be tolerated, must be brought to an
end, the rights of victims protected, and the xenophobic and racist beliefs
connected with such acts repudiated; and
WHEREAS, with the reunification of East and West,
Germany is experiencing high unemployment rates, housing shortages, and rising
crime rates, and many Germans are placing the blame for these social problems
on the presence of foreigners and Jews. The Mayor and Council reject that
thinking and contend that it blames the victims for the violence being visited
upon them; and
WHEREAS, reducing the number of potential victims by
curbing the influx of immigrants into Germany will not affect ignorance and
intolerance. Rather than further isolating the German people from other
cultures, the Mayor and Council urge the government to pursue policies leading
to greater acceptance, and to fight for stricter law enforcement and harsher
penalties for those who commit acts of hate-motivated violence; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
That the Mayor and Council hereby call upon German
authorities to: (1) work with law enforcement officials to put an end to the
attacks of foreigners and prosecute those responsible; (2) directly counter
acts against Jewish targets and memorials to the Holocaust and to repudiate
these and other expressions of anti-Semitism; and (3) intensify educational
campaigns, especially in the schools, to develop prejudice reduction programs
and study the Holocaust.
________________________________________________________