U.S. Rejects Vote to Recognize Slavery as a ‘Crime Against Humanity’ - The United Nations resolution was led by the president of Ghana. Israel and Argentina also voted against it.

He did something more for them than freeing them from slavery? Wow how'd I miss that???

He's erasing all memorials of slavery and civil rights campaigns in this country. Don't you see? He's clearly changing history so that slavery and segregation never actually happened. No other president could have done that

He's working tirelessly to strip away their rights and dignity

Actually what he has none is make it harder for Black Americans to vote and run for office, had ICE bash heads based on skin color, blocked and opposed programs to redress the results of slavery and long term discrimination, given openly bigoted individuals positions of power and tried to make all of us slaves to the billionaires. I am sure I haven't thought of everything.

Done more for them than any other presidents (not necessarily good things)

Didn't they even claim that migrant farm workers (who they were going to deport) were taking "Black jobs"? I guess forcing Black Americans back into indentured servitude or slavery is "doing more for them than any other president" in their eyes. Because slaves were super duper happy, also according to Trump. Would not be surprised if this is the "logical" train of thought for these idiots.

It’s incredible how repeating a lie just makes (a subset of) people start believing it

he and his father were indicted by the state of new jersey (when they were just slumlords) for not renting to black people. the heritage nazis want to re-enact slavery

Hey now, he gave millions to HBCUs* ^(*which actually was a marked decrease from the billions they got while Biden was president)

I remember hearing this all the time in 2020. It’s just more proof that the right will just say things and whether or not they’re true it simply doesn’t matter. Haitians are eating pets? Sure why not. Trump has done more for black Americans than anyone in the history of the universe? Sounds totally believable. Public schools are doing gender reassignment surgeries on kids? F*** it that’s gotta be true. What’s next? Trump has united the entire world and given everyone a unicorn that shits pizza solving world hunger? I’ll believe it.

An entire government dedicated to the stroking of one pathetic man's ego

He denied them housing claiming they weren't likely to pay rent until he got sued for it... Oh you meant something *beneficial*

Most likely because prison labor is essentially constitutionally protected slavery in the US. We have it in our dirty old crusty constitution.

Reparations was part of it.

many countries abstained as well all of Europe save Serbia and Russia, Canada

This is the rationale: [https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-for-unga-resolution/](https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-for-unga-resolution/) Sounds like the US doesn't want to vote for a resolution that says the US committed the gravest crime against humanity and agrees to pay for reparations to an unknown entity as a result.

The US rejected the language declaring the slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity." They argued that attempting to rank historical atrocities in a hierarchy objectively diminishes the suffering of victims of other mass atrocities and genocides throughout history. They also oppose the legal framework of paying reparations and "reparatory justice." Israel and Argentina followed suit.

The headline is a bit misleading as the vote was to declare slavery as “the gravest crime against humanity.”

Maybe the article gives their excuse. I'm gonna look for a no paywall version.

US also consistently votes again and again against resolution to stop glorification of Nazism.

Look at what else they put in the resolution. This is literally politics 101—do your own research and you’ll see why. There are often resolutions and bills that sound unimpeachable on their face, but contain a lot of nonsense that should be edited out before passing. Remember the whole “Food Is A Human Right” debacle at the UN? That’s what happens when bad actors shoehorn many issues into one proposed resolution, and then quote the title to try to demonize those voting against it.

If you’re asking honestly, as I understand it, it was worded specifically to exclude other instances of slavery (including modern day slavery in countries that voted for the resolution). Along with the reparations, it basically means “You pay for this crime you committed, but we’ll hold nobody else to the same standard.” I’m all for the condemnation if it weren’t so blatantly hypocritical.

Because its part of Ghana wanting to get money.

It recognizes slavery as the *gravest* crime against humanity. The US doesn't think there should be a hierarchy of crimes against humanity.

Which is basically voting no, I’m not surprised by most of the European countries or Japan abstaining but like Fiji? That shocks me

The politics around reparations, which the vote called for, are complicated. Most notably, it’s seen by a lot of counties as a wedge issue China forces. A lot of counties had their western debts forgiven as part of the millennium goals, started racking up new debts with China and now want that paid off too by reparations. So trying to get the West to pay for past western imperialism and fund modern Eastern Imperialism.

Their leadership is aligned as right wing allies. US funds Israel and agreed to send a $40 billion bailout to Argentina as a personal favor essentially.

The resolution refers to the trans-Atlantic slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity". I expect Israel would think the Holocaust deserves that superlative designation. As for the USA, probably a combination of not wanting to be declared a perpetrator of the world's gravest crime and not wanting to pay the reparations that are also a part of this. For Argentina, I don't know.

USA took in Nazis Israel was/is supported by (neo)Nazis, and Nazis fled to Argentina

Axis of Evil.

52 other countries abstained from the vote. What is common among these 55 countries that didn’t vote yes?

This is still misleading. The resolution was to call the **trans-Atlantic** slave trade the gravest crime against humanity, which conveniently leaves out the slavery taking place in Ghana today (and many other countries).

Also 52 other countries abstained. Unfortunately, no one reads the article on here.

Funny how slavery is still practice in some of the countries that supported this

Little detail they thought to hide

purposefully.

Wouldn't that be illogical as the descendants of slavery (as in triangle trade slavery) are in the Americas. The people that put those people into slavery were overwhelmingly Africans (there were no white people going into Africa to kidnap slaves) who then sold the slaves to white people who then resold the slaves. The reparation should then be from Africans to the various afro communities in the Americas.

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, there is a big difference between a crime against humanity and "the gravest." Trying to rank all the horrors of history would be an exercise in pure subjectivity, and this could easily be seen as marginalizing all the victims of similarly terrible things. And, of course, rich countries are unlikely to sign on to a resolution that commits them to paying reparations.

The headline is complete disinformation, and the question put up for vote was framed entirely in bad faith, just like Trump's *"stand up if you believe that protecting Americans, not illegal aliens was the government’s first duty"* at the state of the union. Sad that have to scroll past dozens of outrage posts in this thread to get to someone that actually read the article.

>This headline is a little misleading The headline is *a lot* misleading. It's missing crucial context that completely changes the truth.

Here's the reason why the UN abstained: >Chair,  > I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.  > The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro\*, Albania\*,  the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina\*, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement. > We welcome the African Union's initiative in advancing a dedicated resolution to one of the most heinous episodes in human history.  >The transatlantic slave trade remains an unparalleled tragedy, which lasted for over three centuries and involved unspeakable atrocities, affecting millions of Africans. It cannot and should not be forgotten. At the 7^(th) Summit of the African Union and the European Union last November in Angola, European and African leaders jointly recognised and profoundly regretted the untold suffering inflicted on millions of people as a result of the slave trade, colonialism, and apartheid. > The EU is committed to shedding light on the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, as well as their causes, consequences and lasting impacts. It is our collective responsibility to learn from the wrongs of the past. We have to redress their enduring effects by removing barriers and tackling disparities that still hinder equal participation in society by the descendants of those affected. > The EU is actively engaged across all relevant fora, including via the EU-AU Human Rights Dialogue process, to make progress on this issue. We acknowledge that further efforts are necessary and we stand ready to continue working with partners in this direction. The recently adopted EU Anti-Racism Strategy underscores the continued relevance of tackling the legacy of slavery, making this an important element of the fight against structural racism. > This resolution was presented as a forward-looking and unifying process. It offered a meaningful opportunity to foster unity among UN Member States to jointly address an issue of paramount importance for all. Regrettably, we were not able to reach a consensual outcome in the short time frame allocated to negotiations. We also regret that the proponents of the resolution did not reconsider their approach, despite our repeated calls for more openness to constructive comments. > Chair, > We regret that our key concerns were not adequately reflected in the final text. We are concerned that this will send a wrong message on an issue where we do not fundamentally disagree. > We were prepared to support a text that emphasises the scale of the atrocity of the transatlantic slave trade, the importance of remembrance, and the need to continue combating slavery in its contemporary forms. Instead, the text before us raises a number of legal and factual concerns that we cannot overlook. > First, the use of superlatives in the context of crimes against humanity is not legally accurate, such as the use of "gravest" in the title and throughout the text, which implies a hierarchy among atrocity crimes, when no legal hierarchy between crimes against humanity exists. It risks undermining the harm suffered by all victims of these crimes and lacks legal clarity crucial for ensuring accountability. We firmly reject introducing ambiguity in this respect. > Second, the selective inclusion of lengthy, historical, and contentious references to regional jurisprudence and selective and unbalanced interpretation of historical events - such as in Preambular Paragraphs 21 and 23 - is at odds with accepted UN practice, as well as the stated universal and forward looking objective of this initiative. It risks creating divisions when unity is both necessary and achievable. The role of the General Assembly is not to substitute itself to the academic debate amongst historians. > Third, we are also concerned by certain legal references and assertions that are either inaccurate or inconsistent with international law. This includes suggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which was non-existent at the time and claims for reparations, which is incompatible with established principles of international law. The principle of non-retroactivity, a fundamental cornerstone of the international legal order, must be strictly upheld. References to claims for reparations also lack a sound legal basis. Any framework for reparatory justice must be grounded in existing multilateral instruments.  > For these reasons, the Member States of the European Union regret that they are not in a position to support resolution A/80/L.48. > Repeating our strongest condemnation of the slave trade and reaffirming our genuine commitment that we have demonstrated through concrete domestic and international action, we are compelled to ABSTAIN, solely out of profound respect for the subject matter and its complexities. > This abstention should not be interpreted as leniency toward these abhorrent practices, nor in any case as acceptance of or acquiescence to the legal formulations in the text. We reserve our full position on these matters in all current and future relevant processes. > I thank you, Chair. Source: [https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-new-york/eu-explanation-vote-%E2%80%93-un-general-assembly-action-a80l48-declaration-trafficking-enslaved-africans\_en](https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-new-york/eu-explanation-vote-%E2%80%93-un-general-assembly-action-a80l48-declaration-trafficking-enslaved-africans_en)

Don’t forget - 52 nations abstained - It calls the transatlantic chattel slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity”. Not a crime against humanity, which obviously everyone would agree with. The gravest.

Yah that’s what got too. Most everyone living in Ghana today is descendent of people who captured and enslaved Africans and some them to the Portuguese. Do these fuckers want to be paid twice??

Ghana has only been a country since 1960.

Mahama is not a dictator. He is the elected President of Ghana.

I'm pro fixing the harms of the past. But that means fixing the harms where they specifically still exist, not just paying money later generations in the same place. I also think that if we identify current problems we should fix those the same, being able to link back to past atrocities is not a requirement.

Pretty sure the money grab was the hundred years of free labor that established the economic power of the United States.

I mean, slavery and human trafficking is still an issue in a lot of those places, so...

Yeah, man. I really f****** did. F*** this garbage racist shitty current administration.

I don't know why but this threw me into a fit of laughter 🤣