US, France engage in diplomatic row over UN human rights vote

A diplomatic dispute erupted on social media over the weekend as American and French officials traded blistering attacks over a UN human rights leadership vote.

The conflict began after the UN General Assembly approved Volker Turk for a new term as UN 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, US Ambassador Jeff Bartos asserted that the UN 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 UN in Geneva shared the US statement and accused Washington of having lost its moral standing. "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore," the French mission stated, adding that the US now stands alongside adversaries such as North Korea and Russia.

US representative to the UN, 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 UK, and Israel."

The exchange turned increasingly hostile when US 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.