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08 May 2020The coronavirus pandemic "continues to trigger a tsunami of hatred and xenophobia" in the world. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, writes this in a post published on his Twitter account and accompanied by a video in which he does not refer to specific states or countries.

 "Anti-foreign sentiment has increased online and on the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and anti-Muslim attacks related to Covid-19 have occurred," he added.

According to Guterres, migrants and refugees have been "maligned as a source of the virus and denied them access to medical treatment."  

Meanwhile, "despicable memes" have emerged indicating that older people, some of the most vulnerable to the virus, "are also the most expendable," he stressed.

In addition, "journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, humanitarian workers and human rights defenders are targeted simply because they do their job."