International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism

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The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism – or Ligue Internationale Contre le Racisme et l'Antisémitisme (LICRA) in French— has existed for 79 years, and is opposed to intolerance, xenophobia and exclusion. In 1927, French journalist Bernard Lecache created "The League Against Pogroms."

During the 20th Century, a Committee of Honor was formed by a number of notable scholars of the day including, Edward Herriot, Léon Blum, Léon Joauhaux, Albert Einstein, Séverine, Maxim Gorky, Edvard Beneš, Tomáš G. Masaryk, Romain Rolland, André Malraux and Anne de Noailles. Joseph Kessel was one of the first to sign a membership.

It soon changed its name to the International League Against Anti-Semitism (LICA). Sholom Schwartzbard, the anarchist who shot down the Ukrainian pogromist Simon Petlioura, was a prominent activist in this organization.

LICA evolved into LICRA in 1979 during the long (1968-1992) presidency of Jean Pierre-Bloch.

LICRA received considerable media attention during the case of LICRA vs. Yahoo!, in which it brought charges against Yahoo! for selling Nazi memorabilia to people in France in violation of French law.

[edit] External links

• LICRA - Ligue Internationale Contre le Racisme et l'An44sémitisme French language official page.
• English introduction.
• Shalom (Samuel) Schwartzbard Page from the Anarchist Encyclopedia