"We live at a time of rising xenophobia…. This continent [Europe] must stay true to its values and reject discrimination," Ban Ki-moon said at a press conference in Geneva.
Speaking in front of the UN General Assembly on September 20, the UN chief said he was deeply concerned by hatred shown toward refugees and migrants, and called for a rejection of stereotypes and discrimination.
The Europe is currently struggling to manage a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands people leaving conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty and seeking asylum in Europe.
This has been accompanied by a surge in the number of xenophobic crimes and a rise in the popularity of right-wing anti-immigration parties across Europe.
