Racial violence in Ferguson reminiscent of apartheid, UN rights chief says

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/19/racial-violence-in-ferguson-reminiscent-of-apartheid-un-rights-chief-says/



Racial violence in Ferguson reminiscent of apartheid, UN rights chief says
By Reuters
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 15:02 EDT
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) – Clashes between police and protesters in the U.S. town of Ferguson are reminiscent of the racial violence spawned by apartheid in her native South Africa, the top U.N. human rights official said on Tuesday.

Navi Pillay, who is due to step down at the end of the month after six years in the U.N. hotseat, urged U.S. authorities to investigate allegations of brutality and examine the “root causes” of racial discrimination in America.

U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday called for calm and a change in police tactics in Ferguson, Missouri, which has been rocked by racially charged clashes and riots after a white officer killed an unarmed black teenager 10 days ago.

“I condemn the excessive use of force by the police and call for the right of protest to be respected. The United States is a freedom-loving country and one thing they should cherish is people’s right to protest,” Pillay said in a wide-ranging interview in her office along Lake Geneva.