TORONTO (November 16, 2017) –Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) commends theleadership shown by the mayor of Winnipeg, Brian Bowman, in denouncing theplanned speaking event by white nationalist Paul Fromm yesterday in that city. 

As a result of such opposition to Fromm's presence in the city, his planned eventat a local hotel was blocked. The hotel issued a statement sayingit had cancelled Fromm’s booking, and a number of other hotels also refused himservice.

In his public statementyesterday, the mayor indicated that he found "the hate that [Fromm] ispromoting in cities across Canada, and now purportedly in Winnipeg, unwelcome and repulsive." Bowman encouraged Winnipeggers "to continue to express their condemnation... in a lawful manner."

"FSWC commends Mayor Bowman onhis strong and principled statement against hate and his ongoing commitment tofostering a city where racism does not find a home. We encourage mayorsand other political figures across the country to follow his lead in denouncingspeakers with intolerant views who do not share Canadian values founded ondiversity and inclusion," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. "FSWC justrecently had a very positive meeting with Mayor Bowman to talk about disturbingtrends in the antisemitic and the white supremacist movement, committing to workwith and supporting his administration on an ongoing basis.”

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Media Contact

Avital Borisovsky
Communications Associate
416-864-9735 ext. 29
aborisovsky@fswc.ca

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Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC for latest news and organization updates.

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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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