International Day for Countering Hate Speech falls on June 18. The U.N. General Assembly adopted the resolution to counter hate speech and set up this milestone in the fight against hate speech. According to the UN, hate speech is any kind of speech or writing that attacks or discriminates against a person or a group based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or any other identity factor. Speech should not be a weapon for creating more mayhem in this volatile world; thus, the International Day for Countering Hate Speech will help to stop hate-mongering.
King’s Mother’s Birthday
King Mother’s Birthday is on June 18 every year in Cambodia. It commemorates the day Queen Mother Norodom Monineath was born. Queen Mother’s birth name was Paule-Monique Izzi. She met Norodom Sihanouk in 1951 at a beauty contest where he awarded her the first prize and they were married the following year after. After King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 2004, his son succeeded him, and Norodom Monineath became the Queen Mother. Queen Mother is known for her involvement in several charities, such as the ‘Samdech Euv Team,’ which was established by the King Father to help the less fortunate by building hospitals, schools, and houses.
Seychelles Constitution Day
Seychelles Constitution Day, also called National Day, is celebrated on June 18 yearly, marking the declaration of the referendum in 1993 that made Seychelles a multi-party democracy. Seychelles has a long history of strife; thus, its people cherish their independence after a long struggle. The French colonized them in the 1700s; however, Britain overthrew the French in the 1800s and made Seychelles a prison colony during the colonial period. Seychelles Constitution Day involves a parade in Stade Linite with the president and high government officials present.