A famous Belgian carnival was removed from the UN's cultural heritage list following complaints that its most recent edition contained blatant displays of anti-Semitism. The Aalst carnival was taken off Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list during a meeting in Colombia's capital city, becoming the first cultural tradition stricken from the UN's global inventory of cultural practices. READ MORE:* Belgian carnival town renounces Unesco title over racism row* Belgian festival features a 'savage' in blackfaceBelgium's government requested that the carnival to be taken off the Unesco list following several complaints by groups that the event was permissive of displays of anti-Semitism. Geert Vanden Wijngaert The famed Belgian carnival town of Aalst is renouncing its place on the UN's cultural agency heritage list. Belgian delegates at the Unesco meeting declined to comment on the carnival's removal from the heritage list.

Source: Stuff December 14, 2019 06:00 UTC