Germany to push for EU law criminalizing Holocaust denial News
Germany to push for EU law criminalizing Holocaust denial

[JURIST] German Federal Minister of Justice Brigitte Zypries [official profile, in German] said at a press conference Monday that Germany will attempt to make denial of the World War II-era Holocaust in which millions of Jews died at the hands of the Nazis illegal throughout the European Union. The plan is part of Germany's platform [PDF text, in German] for its 2007 EU Presidency [EU backgrounder]. Speaking on Germany's plan for justice matters, Zypries stated that "denial of the Holocaust is an example of what would be punishable by law if standardization took place."

It is currently illegal to deny the Holocaust in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain. Germany once before pressed for similar EU law, but was blocked by Italy. The National Post has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.