A/55/304 Governments, since that appeared to be an attempt at normalization of such parties through the democratic process, if not the democratic paradox (namely, the accession to power through democratic channels of a party which disavows the fundamental principles of democracy, including respect for human rights without distinction as to, inter alia, race, origin or colour). There was a genuine risk that the Austrian example might be widely emulated and that such organizations, which had been losing ground in many countries, might regain political momentum and public support. 8. The Special Rapporteur also referred to the punitive raids by hundreds of Spaniards against the North African (mostly Moroccan) inhabitants of the town of El Ejido in southern Spain on Saturday, 5 February 2000, following the murder of a young Spanish woman by a Moroccan who was mentally unbalanced. Forty-nine people had been injured, considerable property belonging to the foreigners had been destroyed and the victims had been the target of xenophobic and racist remarks. Spain, which had just liberalized its immigration policy to take account of its declining birth rate and the manpower needs of its booming economy, had been surprised and shocked at this violent manifestation of racism and xenophobia, which it had managed to contain through the intervention of over 500 police. 9. Lastly, the Special Rapporteur mentioned the case of Amadou Diallo, a young Guinean immigrant, who on 4 February 1999 had died after being shot 41 times by four New York City policemen. The Special Rapporteur noted that the four policemen charged with his murder had been acquitted. While refraining from comment on the verdict, he echoed Amnesty International in observing that “The Diallo case is one of more than a dozen incidents in the past five years, in which black, Hispanic or other minorities have been shot in highly questionable and disputed circumstances” and cited President Clinton’s comment, broadcast by Radio France Internationale on 4 March, that Amadou Diallo would not have died had he been living in a white neighbourhood. 10. In addition to those extremely disturbing cases, the Special Rapporteur referred to the expansion of the dissemination of racist ideologies on the Internet and reiterated his recommendation that, in addition to the workshops already held, international consultations should be held to determine what must be done to curb 4 that harmful activity, which seemed to know no borders. 11. The Special Rapporteur also recalled that the Roma were victims of racial discrimination in a number of countries, and referred the Commission to the preliminary findings of his regional mission to the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary from 20 to 30 September 1999 (see E/CN.4/2000/16/Add.1). 12. Concerning the follow-up to earlier missions, he mentioned that the South African Government had implemented his recommendations through a set of measures to combat xenophobia and recurrent forms of racism and racial discrimination. A plan of action against xenophobia and a campaign to increase tolerance towards foreigners had been launched. The Parliament had adopted new legislation, consisting of four laws, designed to promote equality through affirmative action and to prevent and punish different manifestations of racial discrimination. 13. He said that the French Government had acted on his recommendations, made following his visit to France in September 1995, by putting in place a major legislative package against racism. The immigration laws had been revised, the procedure for granting entry visas to France to people from the “South” had been relaxed and the procedure for reviewing the cases of people held at detention centres, as well as the grounds for expulsion, had been made more consistent with respect for human rights. However, there was a risk that those efforts might be undermined by the recent turnaround in French public opinion. An opinion poll conducted between 17 and 24 November 1999 at the request of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights and the Government’s information service showed that 69 per cent of French people considered themselves to be “quite racist”, “rather racist” or “not very racist”, while only 29 per cent considered themselves to be “not at all racist”. The feelings of solidarity and brotherhood among all French people regardless of origin, engendered by the victory of France’s national team in the World Cup final, seemed to have given way to tensions concerning immigration issues. According to the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, acts of xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism were on the rise. The French Government had expressed its concern and had announced a plan to combat racial discrimination.