About the UN resolution – FIR asks European governments

8. Dezember 2014

The U.N. Third Committee met in New York on November 26th and approved several texts to be taken up by the General Assembly before Christmas. Among others, the Committee passed a proposal on a global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The recommendation express the U.N. deep concerns about the glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-fascism, neo-nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organizations. Warnings include the erection of monuments and memorials and the holding of public demonstrations for the glorification of the nazi-fascist past and the Nazi movement. Moreover, it underlines the anxiety about recurring attempts to desecrate or demolish monuments erected in remembrance of those who fought against Nazism during the Second World War, as well as to unlawfully exhume or remove the remains of such persons.
Although the text of the proposal looks perfectly in line with the apprehensions already expressed by several International Antifascist Organizations, on the increase in the number of racist incidents and the resurgence of racist and xenophobic violence targeting persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, the draft resolution was approved by only 121 countries, with 55 abstentions.
During the discussions, Israel’s representative recalled that his people had always been the victims of racism, but despite an urgent need to tackle racism, certain countries had politicized the issue. Hence, his delegation had no choice but voting against the draft resolution.
The representative of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said no region was racism-free and regretted that the text remained too focused on meetings, reports and negotiations rather than taking concrete actions, thus calling EU countries to abstain.
Both declarations leave a bad taste, considering that Nazism and neo-fascism shall be a major concern for all countries worldwide and, even more, for an international institution such as the European Union, whose roots have to be found in the Resistance war against Nazi fascism. The international antifascist community is astonished and deeply regrets the choice of all UE Member States to abstain during the vote of this proposal. It is a clear lack of courage, and an outrage to the People who suffered and gave their lives to fight against Nazi fascism.
The European Union’s Governments shall now explain why they have all decided to abstain on a Proposal that called to adopt further measures to provide specific training for the police and other law enforcement bodies on the ideologies of extremist political parties and movements; a compulsory solution to strengthen their capacity to address racist and xenophobic crimes. Likewise, as the Proposal calls to enhance investments in education – to counter the negative influence of extremist political parties, movements and groups – it is hard to understand why these measures should not be enforced in a Europe so deeply stricken by a moral and economic crisis.
It is a lost occasion for Europe, and a very bad start for a brand new European Union, already weakened by the score obtained by extreme right parties at the last May elections.