UN commemorates 60th anniversary of liberation of Nazi death camps News
UN commemorates 60th anniversary of liberation of Nazi death camps

[JURIST] The UN General Assembly opened its 28th Special Session [official website] Monday commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Jews from Nazi death camps. Various world leaders and Nobel Laureate author Elie Wiesel [biography], a World War II death camp survivor, spoke at the session. Speakers remembered the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and how the UN [official website] was formed to stop such future tragedies. However, Wiesel and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan [official website] both questioned the will of the nations of the world to stop future mass murders citing Rwanda, Darfur, and Bosnia. A purpose of the commemoration was to downplay the notion that the UN General Assembly is anti-Semitic. However, there were clear signs of divisions as most of the Arab world did not participate. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

November 9 is the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism [UNITED factsheet]. On November 9, 1924, American gay activist Henry Gerber and several associates formed the Society for Human Rights, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The Society received a charter from the State of Illinois in December but was disbanded in July 1925 after a police raid which led to Gerber's arrest and trial (albeit not conviction). Pay a virtual visit to Henry Gerber House, now a registered Chicago landmark.

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