Toronto (January 21, 2022) – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is troubled that former Ajax mayor Steve Parish, who has shown his support for a naval officer who worked under the Nazi regime, will be running as the Ontario New Democratic Party's (NDP) candidate in the Ajax riding in the next provincial election. FSWC calls on the NDP to take a stand against Parish’s glorification of a Nazi warship captain.

Parish, who served as mayor of Ajax in 1995-2018, has defended his support for having one of the town’s streets named after Hans Langsdorff - who was commander of a German battleship during the Second World War – even after town council voted to remove the street name in 2020.  

“No street in Canada should be named after an individual who fought for the genocidal Nazi regime that murdered six million Jews and millions of others, regardless of whether or not that individual was directly complicit in the murders,” said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, FSWC’s Director of Policy. “It’s very shocking that the NDP had chosen Parish as a candidate in the first place, following his public display of support for having a street named after a Nazi warship captain. It’s time for the party to show leadership and speak out.”