Trump Administration Doesn't Care About Nazis: The U.S. Voted Against U.N. Resolution Condemning Nazism

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White nationalists attend a rally in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Late last week, the U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Nazism. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The United States is one of three nations that voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Nazism late last week.

The resolution called to combat the "glorification of Nazism, Neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance."

It was approved by the U.N. Human Rights Committee on Friday, with 131 countries voting in favor, 48 counties abstaining from voting and three countries voting against the condemnation: the U.S., Ukraine and Palau.

The U.S opposed the resolution, apparently, because it wasn't expansive enough and could lead to limitations of freedom of expression.

"We condemn without reservation all forms of religious and ethnic intolerance or hatred at home and around the world," Deputy U.S. Representative to the Economic and Social Council Stefanie Amadeo told CBS News, explaining the U.S. vote. "However, due to this resolution's overly narrow scope and politicized nature, and because it calls for unacceptable limits on the fundamental freedom of expression, the United States cannot support it."

Resolutions in General Assembly committees are not legally binding, but this vote shows consistency with the U.S.'s defense of free speech over its condemnation of hate speech.

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.

"I think there is blame on both sides," President Trump said after the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis took to the streets in Charlottesville. "You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I'll say it right now."

Trump defended the right to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, saying that the statues represented an important part of American history. Like the U.S.'s take on the vote, the president sided with the free speech.

"I've condemned neo-Nazis. I've condemned many different groups," he said. "Not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch."

Trump said "alt-left" groups were just as bad, calling them "very, very violent" at the same rally.

"Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee," Trump said. "So this week, it is Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?"

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Christianna Silva is a staff writer for Newsweek covering civil rights with a focus on LGBT issues and police brutality. ... Read more

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