Following reports that the U.S. voted in opposition to a U.N. resolution “combating Nazism and … practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” pundits and activists have cited the decision as demonstrative of the Trump administration’s stance on Nazi-ism.
Political activist Linda Sarsour tweeted that the decision was “horrific yet clarifying”:
The US voted against UN resolution condemning Nazism. Horrific yet clarifying from this Admin. https://t.co/owWhn7I44D
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) November 24, 2017
The Newsweek article linked in Sarsour’s tweet related the decision to events in Charlottesville: “This follows Donald Trump’s shaky history on condemning Nazis and white supremacists, from his defense of Confederate statues to the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer.”
An article from the Independent on the resolution vote ran with the subhead: “First ‘no’ vote from Trump administration likely to generate interest following president’s ‘many sides’ comment in wake of violence in Virginia earlier this year.”
The resolution, introduced by Russia, proposed to cover “a wide range of issues including…[the] elimination of racism” according to a U.N. report. The resolution is not legally binding.
Both the Independent and Newsweek articles, however, mistakenly cite as current a 2016 statement from Stefanie Amadeo, then-deputy U.S. representative to the Economic and Social Council on why the Obama administration voted no on the resolution. At the time, Amadeo pointed to the “overly narrow scope and politicized nature” and its “unacceptable limits on the fundamental freedom of expression” on why the U.S. voted against the resolution last year.
The decision to vote against the resolution is in lockstep with the voting recording under President Obama. Records show the previous administration voting against it every year since at least 2012.
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