TORONTO (March 26, 2018) - Friends of Simon WiesenthalCenter (FSWC) commends the University of Ottawa for continuing to oppose theanti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Yesterday, for the third time in five months, the StudentFederation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) rejected a motion calling forsupport of the BDS movement. This comes after BDS motions failed to passearlier this month and were rejected by the SFUO in November. In a statementreleased today, University of Ottawa President and Vice-Chancellor Jacques Frémont affirmed that the“University of Ottawa will have no part of the BDS movement nor any movementthat boycotts academic institutions,” calling the issue “divisive and adetriment to an open and welcoming campus environment.”

“Once again, we witness the continued failure of the BDSmovement and the profound strength of the Jewish students in their fightagainst BDS at the University of Ottawa. It has been proven time and time againthat students are not interested in supporting such divisive motions in theiruniversities,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “FSWC thanks Presidentand Vice-Chancellor Jacques Frémontfor expressing his condemnation of BDS and showing support for a campusenvironment that is inclusive, diverse and does not take part in discriminatoryboycotts.”

In addition to the University of Ottawa, BDS has failed atnumerous universities in recent years - including the University of Waterloo,University of British Columbia and most recently the University of Winnipeg.

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Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky
Communications Associate  
416.864.9735 x 29  
aborisovsky@fswc.ca

Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC 

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Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is a top Jewish human rights foundation in Canada's organized Jewish community. It directly impacts over 100,000 people each year and 500,000+ peripherally. FSWC is committed to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy and educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles which has won two Academy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca. 

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