On November 21, the plenary of the Third Committee of the 69 general assembly of the United Nations met and discussed a resolution on Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.” After the debate, 115 countries voted in favour, 55 abstained (all of the EU countries) and only US, Canada and Ukraine voted against.

The text of the resolution contains the following paragraph: “Expresses deep concern about the glorification, in any form, of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organization, including by erecting monuments and memorials and holding public demonstrations in the name of the glorification of the Nazi past, the Nazi movement and neo-Nazism, as well as by declaring or attempting to declare such members and those who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition and collaborated with the Nazi movement participants in national liberation movements;”

This would obviously include the glorification of the SS Galicia Division of Ukrainian volunteers and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which collaborated with the nazis. Remember that the open commemoration of the SS Galicia and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army is commonplace in Ukraine, including the declaration of October 14, the day of the founding of the UPA as the “Day of the Defender of the Nation” by president Poroshenko this year (see: https://ukraineantifascistsolidarity.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/ukraine-thousands-of-far-right-supporters-mark-anniversary-of-genocidal-upa/)

The Ukrainian delegate justification for voting against is recorded in the UN official minutes: “the representative of Ukraine said Stalinism had killed many people in the Gulag, condemning Hitler and Stalin alike as international criminals. Calling on the Russian Federation to stop glorifying and feeding Stalinism, he said he could not support the draft text.”

The minutes also record that “the representative of the United States said she had joined other countries in expressing abhorrence for attempts to promote Nazi ideology, and condemning all forms of religious or ethnic hatred. Her delegation was concerned about the overt political motives that had driven the main sponsor of the current resolution. That Government had employed those phrases in the current crisis in Ukraine. That was offensive and disrespectful to those who had suffered at the hands of Nazi regimes. ”

Finally, explaining the abstention of the EU countries “the representative of Italy, said the Union was committed to fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance with comprehensive efforts at national, regional and international levels. While States were free to decide what to include in the draft text, he noted that the Union was concerned about the sincerity of the text, as the main sponsor had violated the human rights.”

A full record of the vote can be seen here: http://www.un.org/en/ga/third/69/docs/voting_sheets/L56.Rev1.pdf

The full text of the resolution can be read here [click on English]: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/C.3/69/L.56/Rev.1

And the report of the session is available here: http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/gashc4124.doc.htm