GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements are becoming a "transnational threat" and have exploited the coronavirus pandemic to boost their support.Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council, Guterres said the danger of hate-driven groups was growing daily.
"White supremacy and neo-Nazi movements are more than domestic terror threats. They are becoming a transnational threat," he told the Geneva forum. Without naming states, Guterres added: "Today, these extremist movements represent the number one internal security threat in several countries."
In the United States, racial tensions simmered during the turbulent four-year presidency of Donald Trump. His successor Joe Biden has said the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters was carried out by "thugs, insurrectionists, political extremists and white supremacists".
"Far too often, these hate groups are cheered on by people in positions of responsibility in ways that were considered unimaginable not long ago," Guterres said. "We need global coordinated action to defeat this grave and growing danger."