At least 7,000 slaves in Niger, who were to be freed in a first—ever slave—freeing ceremony, will apparently remain in their wretched state, because carrying it out would amount to admitting to the world that slavery still exists there. Apparently this had not occurred to the geniuses running Niger until late in the game. The BBC reports:

The government of Niger has cancelled at the last minute a special ceremony during which at least 7,000 slaves were to be granted their freedom.

A spokesman for the government's human rights commission, which had helped to organise the event, said this was because slavery did not exist.

It is not clear why the government, which was also a co—sponsor of the ceremony, changed its position.

At least 43,000 people across Niger are thought to be in slavery.

The slavery reparations crowd is convinced that the United States, which fought a bloody Civil War over slavery and which abolished it at a terrible cost in human life, is uniquely evil. Being primarily concerned with scoring political points at home, these poseurs have no apparent concern for the ongoing black—on—black and Arab—on—black slavery existing today on the holy continent of Mother Africa.

Hat tip: Lucianne.com

Thomas Lifson  3 05 05