US votes against resolution condemning Nazi glorification

WASHINGTON – The United States has voted against a yearly resolution that condemns the glorification of Nazism, though it doesn’t like Nazis.

The resolution calls on all U.N. member nations to ban pro-Nazi speech and organizations and to implement other restrictions on speech and assembly. That is a non-starter in the U.S., where First Amendment protections guarantee everyone the right to say almost anything they want — even praise for Adolf Hitler’s followers.

The Russian-drafted resolution was approved Thursday by the General Assembly’s human rights committee on a vote of 125-2, with 51 abstentions. Only Ukraine joined the United States in voting “no.”

The resolution now goes to the 193-member assembly for a vote, where its approval in December is virtually certain.

Despite U.S. pressure to vote “no,” Israel supported the resolution.