UNITED NATIONS, December 16. /TASS/. The UN General Assembly has adopted the Russian draft 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" on Wednesday. The document was backed by 130 countries, while the United States and Ukraine traditionally voted against it, and 51 countries (including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France and Turkey) abstained.
The resolution contains a pressing call to the states to "eliminate all forms of racial discrimination by all appropriate means, including legislation as required by circumstances." It expresses "deep concern about the glorification, in any form, of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen SS organization," meaning "erecting monuments and memorials, holding public demonstrations in the name of the glorification of the Nazi past, the Nazi movement and neo-Nazism, declaring or attempting to declare such members and those who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition, collaborated with the Nazi movement and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity participants in national liberation movements, as well as by the renaming of streets glorifying them."
The resolution sponsors are concerned by "increased frequency of attempts and activities intended 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."
The resolution also underlines the UN General Assembly is alarmed "over the use by neo-Nazi groups, as well as other extremist groups and individuals espousing ideologies of hatred, of information technologies, the Internet and social media to recruit new members, especially targeting children and young people, and to disseminate and to amplify their hate-filled messages." At the same time, the document points out that these technologies can be used to combat these groups.
The General Assembly recommends to " take appropriate concrete measures, including legislative and educational ones <…> in order to prevent revisionism in respect of the Second World War and the denial of the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Second World War.".