Toronto (March 23, 2018) -Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) denounces the reported shooting andhostage-taking terror attack that took place in Trèbes,France earlier today, resulting in three deaths and several people wounded.

The gunman, whoreportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, fired at police and thentook hostages at a supermarket while yelling “Allahu Akbar.” French PresidentEmmanuel Macron said authorities believe the incident was a terror attack.

“As we continue towitness horrific acts of hate and terror, all countries - including Canada -must stand united and work toward countering extremism that leads to suchincidents,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo.

Accordingto news reports, the attacker has since been killed by police and the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, describing the gunman as a "soldier of the Islamic State" who responded to the group's call to target its enemies.

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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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