A/HRC/4/19 page 5 I. MAIN OBSERVATIONS 1. The most serious manifestation of the setback in the campaign against racism is the current phenomenon of a “shift from words to action” in manifestations and expression of racism and xenophobia, as shown by two recent, associated developments: the resurgence of racist violence and the “democratic” legitimization of racism and xenophobia. The resurgence of racist violence can be seen in the growing number of acts of physical violence and murders targeting members of ethnic, religious or cultural communities or national minorities, which the perpetrators - neo-Nazi, nationalist or extreme right-wing groups - openly claim to be motivated by racism and xenophobia. Added to this is the resurgence of manifestations of racist violence in sport, particularly football, despite the resolute measures recently adopted by the Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA). The “democratic” legitimization of racism and xenophobia results from the ability of political parties advocating racist and xenophobic platforms to apply these platforms directly through a growing number of government alliances, which gives them democratic legitimacy and enables them to use the State’s legislative, administrative and budgetary means. 2. Intellectual and political resistance to multiculturalism is one of the root causes of the resurgence of racist and xenophobic violence. In the context of globalization, such resistance reflects the central role that identity constructs play in the resurgence of racism and xenophobia. The profound crisis that is drastically changing identity constructs is caused by the conflict between old national identities and the profound multiculturalization process in societies. The defence of identity that embodies this conflict is based on the rejection of diversity reflected in two sensitive areas of national identity constructs: the value system and cultural expressions and symbols. With regard to value systems, defence of identity is reflected, particularly in Europe, in the dominant integration-assimilation approach which, by making an immigrant’s integration exclusively dependent on his or her acceptance of and compliance with the values of the host country, assumes that the immigrant or asylum-seeker has no human, cultural or religious values that could enrich or contribute to the national culture. This approach, which amounts to the negation of the very humanity of the immigrant, foreigner or asylum-seeker precisely because of their diversity, is part of the old ideology of the hierarchy of cultures, races and civilizations, on which all subjugation of peoples and legitimization of racist mentalities and culture have historically been founded, creating a breeding ground for all old and new forms of racism and xenophobia, from anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, and serving to justify incitement to racial or religious hatred. Integration is a decisive factor in the coexistence of contemporary multicultural societies. Intercultural dialogue, the urgent need for which has been universally acknowledged, must therefore provoke thought about, and lead to action on, integration. In this regard, intercultural dialogue is above all an internal requirement for societies undergoing a process of multiculturalization, and is an essential element in efforts to counter racism and xenophobia. Intercultural dialogue depends on an approach to integration that respects cultural diversity and is based on the principle of interaction and cross-fertilization, including in the field of values, among various national, ethnic, cultural and religious communities. 3. In this context, the rejection of diversity - a root cause of the rise of racism and xenophobia - is manifested increasingly by intolerance, even repression, of cultural symbols and expressions that reveal the specific identity of various ethnic, cultural or religious communities.