A/60/283 political platforms which promoted or incited racial discrimination (E/CN.4/2004/61), as updated for the General Assembly (A/59/330), and to submit it to the Commission at its sixty-second session. 17. The Special Rapporteur wishes to stress that the newest and most alarming aspect of the resurgence of parties and groups with racist and xenophobic platforms is their insidious inroads on the political agendas of democratic parties and their acceptance by the latter in order to win votes under the guise of combating terrorism, defending the “national identity”, promoting “national preference” and combating illegal immigration. As a result, a growing number of intellectuals have routinely found racist or xenophobic speech, writing and, therefore, acts acceptable and legitimate. That is why the Special Rapporteur believes that racism and xenophobia currently represent the greatest threats to democracy. The electoral impact of such parties and groups with racist and xenophobic platforms is gradually being reflected, not only in their participation in government coalitions and the statements of leaders of traditional democratic political parties, but above all, in legislation and administrative and security practices that criminalize non-nationals, immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. Several recent developments in terms of images, representations and ways of thinking illustrate how the fight against the underlying causes of racism has lost steam, how racism has gained acceptance and how it is being exploited for political purposes: the historical revisionism of democratic parties in certain countries has tended to promote the teaching that colonization had its merits; the increasing perception of underdevelopment as a reflection of backward spiritual cultures and traditions; as well as the interpretation of conflicts in some regions of the world like Africa as having ethnic rather than political causes. Acceptance of racism has sparked a widespread resurgence in racist and xenophobic crimes. B. Coordination with other human rights mechanisms and participation in various meetings 18. Continuing the process of regular consultations with the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which he started in 2003, the Special Rapporteur participated in a thematic discussion on the prevention of genocide on 28 February 2005 and in a general discussion on multiculturalism on 8 March 2005. 19. During the discussion on the prevention of genocide, the Special Rapporteur stressed the importance of achieving intellectual and cultural agreement on the need to prevent genocide. In that regard, he drew the attention of CERD members to the fact that the groundwork for the commission of genocidal violence is always laid by identity, intellectual and cultural constructs which over time legitimize genocidal acts through cultural stereotyping and demonization of victim groups and communities. The ideology of genocide is in essence a construct which includes racism, discrimination and xenophobia. The historical, cultural and intellectual roots of racism should therefore be considered an indicator of the groups and communities at risk. Genocide and its basic ingredient of racism do not just happen but are shaped by ways of thinking, value systems and representations of which they are a portent as clouds portend a storm. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to stress the importance of memory in the prevention of genocide: without a collective memory and a thorough analysis of past acts of genocide, it is difficult to define indicators which would alert us to a high-risk situation that needs to be addressed. 9