Toronto (November 13, 2017) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is concerned about a renewed pro-white campaign at the University of Toronto over the weekend. This follows "Okay to be White" posters found on campuses last week as well as pro-Nazi posters at the University of British Columbia where Remembrance Day ceremonies were about to take place.  

"We are in contact with administrators at the university who share our concern that these inherently racist and offensive recruitment campaigns on campus must be confronted and stopped," said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo.

The group allegedly behind the Toronto posters, Students for Western Civilization, claims to be made up of students and alumni of the University of Toronto who see “white civilization” as being under attack. The campus was targeted with a similar campaign from the same group back in 2015.​

"Reminiscent of Nazi campaigns out of World War II and the language of the neo-Nazi movement in Canada seen in the '80s and '90s, this group, which purports to be representative of the U of T community, seeks to promote intolerance towards those they see as a threat to their so-called​ 'white civilization,'" said Benlolo. "FSWC will continue to use education to address and confront the racism inherent behind such relentless campaigns as we believe that we cannot be complacent when we see incidents such as these designed to divide."

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Media Contact:

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

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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