Russian Foreign Ministry Upset By Holdouts In UN Vote On Fighting Glorification Of Nazism

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized UN members that were withholding their support for a resolution calling for action against the glorification of Nazism.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2018) Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized UN members that were withholding their support for a resolution calling for action against the glorification of Nazism.

The motion, which was co-authored by 55 countries, including Russia, was passed by a specialized committee on Thursday by a 125-2 vote, with 51 abstentions. The United States, which voted against the draft together with Ukraine, said it needed free speech protections.

"We are disappointed that some delegates are not ready to act against the spread of racist and extremist ideologies under the pretext of defending freedoms of speech and association," the Russian Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian delegate who introduced the draft to the United Nations said it was in response to pro-Nazi rallies and a marked rise in xenophobic rhetoric around the world. The US representative then proposed to change all sanctions deemed to violate individual freedoms, a move defeated by a 81-3 vote, with 73 abstentions.