The UN human rights chief on Wednesday said that President Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on the media could trigger violence against journalists, suggesting the US leader could be responsible.
In a broad condemnation of Mr Trump’s conduct in office, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said he viewed the US presidency as the driver of “the bus of humanity”, accusing Mr Trump of “reckless driving”.
Mr Zeid, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, voiced particular alarm over Mr Trump’s verbal assaults on CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post.
“To call these news organisations ‘fake’ does tremendous damage and to refer to individual journalists in this way, I have to ask the question, is this not an incitement for others to attack journalists?
“And let’s assume a journalist is harmed from one of these organisations, does the President not bear responsibility for this, for having fanned this?” Mr Zeid said, adding, “I believe it could amount to incitement.”
“The demonisation of the press is poisonous because it has consequences elsewhere,” he said. He indicated the world was in a perilous state with the billionaire in a position of global leadership.
