The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) called on the United States on Thursday to impose sanctions on UN official Francesca Albanese, who is scheduled to speak at the University of Chicago’s ‘Grappling with Genocide’ forum later this month.
Albanese, who serves as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, has frequently come under fire for perceived antisemitic statements, which have drawn criticism from several UN member nations, including France, Germany, and the United States.
“Francesca Albanese has become arguably the most dominant, official, and professional voice for antisemitism and obsessive hatred for the Jewish state on the world stage,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman. “She is becoming persona non grata globally, and it is unconscionable that a purveyor of racist and antisemitic hate should be welcomed in America.”
Albanese’s past statements include justifying the October 7th Massacre, disseminating conspiracies about the Jewish Lobby, comparing the Israeli government to the Taliban, and likening Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
As a result of her comments, she has been disinvited from numerous public speaking events, including one last month at the Free University of Berlin and another at the Dutch Parliament.
The ‘Grappling with Genocide’ forum, scheduled for April 21st at the University of Chicago, features numerous panellists, many of whom have also been accused of antisemitism in the past.
Reappointed at the UN
Despite prominent voices speaking out against the renewal of her mandate, the United Nations Human Rights Council reappointed Albanese to another three-year term earlier this week.
On Thursday, the US Mission to the UN posted on X that it had sent Secretary-General Antonio Guterres a letter condemning Albanese’s “virulent antisemitism, which demonizes Israel and supports Hamas.” The post also stated that Albanese “has clearly violated the UN’s code of conduct and is unfit for her role.”
Later that week, Geneva-based NGO UN Watch submitted a petition with 100,000 signatures advocating against renewing Albanese’s tenure.
Despite these efforts, Albanese is set to resume her post until 2028. “The renewal of Francesca Albanese’s mandate is a disgrace and a moral stain on the United Nations,” Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, posted on X on Friday.
“Albanese is a notorious antisemite who has repeatedly expressed not only biased views against Israel but also hateful rhetoric targeting the Jewish people as a whole.”