A diplomatic row erupted between the United States and France over the weekend as senior officials exchanged sharp criticism on social media following a vote to appoint new leadership at the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The conflict began after the U.N. General Assembly approved Volker Turk for a new term as U.N. high commissioner for human rights with 144 nations in favor and 13 abstentions. Washington was among only 10 countries that voted against the appointment alongside Israel, Russia and Argentina.
In a video clip shared by the American mission, U.S. Ambassador Jeff Bartos asserted that the U.N.human rights system has been "losing credibility for decades" and accused Turk of leading it to its "deathbed."
The Permanent Mission of France to the U.N. in Geneva shared the U.S. statement and accused Washington of having lost its moral standing. "The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,” the French mission stated, adding that the U.S. now stands alongside adversaries such as North Korea and Russia.
U.S. representative to the U.N., Mike Waltz, called the French response a "shameful" attempt to deflect from Paris's decision to "coddle some of the worst human rights abusers." He alleged that France is "cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors" while lecturing "free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the U.K., and Israel."
The exchange turned increasingly hostile when U.S. Congressman Randy Fine mocked France’s military history. "Don’t you have someone to surrender to?” Fine remarked, referring to the French surrender to Nazi Germany in 1940.
