Japan Press Weekly

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2013 October 16 - 22 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

Citizens petition gov’t to prevent hate speech

A group of citizens on October 21 submitted to the government 1,049 signatures in a petition demanding measures to prevent hate speech campaigns.

They are members of the People’s Front of Anti-Racism which last month organized an anti-hate speech demonstration, called “The March on Tokyo for Freedom”, under the banner of opposing all types of discrimination including ones based on race and nationality.

The petition was adopted at a rally held prior to the demonstration.

It urges that the government comply with the UN International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and take a stand to counter hate speech demonstrations and rallies repeatedly held by racist groups, such as the Citizens’ Coalition against Special Privileges for Foreign Residents in Japan.

At a press conference held after the petition, Kino Toshiki, an initiator of the Tokyo March, said that he led the protest march because the repeated demonstrations against foreign residents in Japan have infringed on human rights and cannot be ignored.

Kino also said, “The government should admit to the existence of demonstrations by Japanese racist and take proper measures against them.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Tamura Tomoko accompanied the citizens’ petition.