Avi's Editorial in Times of Israel

Can Hate Be Erased?

We have observedan uptick of hate crime and especially hateful graffiti over the last fewweeks. In every case, the messagesscrawled on schools, in parks and on highways are painful for everyone whocomes into contact with them. Many affected are Holocaust survivors, theirchildren and grandchildren who are re-traumatized at witnessing Swastikas andhateful remarks like "Hitler was Right" which was scrawled on aHighway 400 barrier early this morning in Vaughan, Ontario.

As a socialactivist and representative of 30,000 Canadian FSWC constituents, I like toobserve and document hateful incidents myself – when I can of course. Towitness them is to feel the weight of their impact and to assess theenvironment is critically important to our work. To discuss the situation inthe field with police, with media and with government officials is critical toensuring we fully comprehend the magnitude of the crime. 

Hate crimeshould not be easily scrubbed away or brushed under the carpet. The scrubbingof the hateful graffiti this morning on Highway 400 had already begun by thetime the police arrived on scene. By thetime I arrived shortly thereafter, it was almost completely washed away. Thecrime scene evidence was destroyed.

While thismatter was addressed with those involved in the washing away of the hatefulmessage, greater attention must be paid to the essence of the matter: scrubbinghate crime graffiti may remove the message from view, but does it solve theproblem of hate and absolve the perpetrators? Hateful graffiti must be removed, but at the same time, it cannot beerased. It exists and we must confront it head on. It must be addressed by awillingness by our Attorney General to prosecute and a greater investment ineducation and advocacy. 

Antisemites seemto have become more emboldened over the last number of months. This is why weare asking Ontario's Attorney General, the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, to reply toour complaints particularly about YourWard News and Al Quds Day. We believe that a strengthening of our justicesystem and avid denunciation of antisemitism from the Ontario Premier,government officials, city councils and mayors will have an impact on theracist and antisemitic movement.

At the sametime, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center will continue to provide the solutionto hate through our Tour for Humanity program, our tolerance training workshops,Freedom Day and more. We will not rest on our laurels in confronting hate crimeand speak out as necessary to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.

Shabbat Shalom,

Avi

‍

Watch FWSC President and CEO Avi Benlolo speak at thescene of the incident: