Toronto (December 12, 2017) -Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has filed a complaint with theCanadian Federation of Students (CFS) and Toronto Police Hate Crimes Unitregarding a speech delivered by the chairperson for the Ontario branch of theCanadian Federation of Students (CFS), Nour Alideeb.

During theanti-Israel rally on December 9, 2017 in front of the Toronto U.S. Consulate, Ms.Alideeb took the stage stating that she had "theprivilege of representing over 350,000 students across the province ofOntario." She then went on to claim that students' tuition moneywas "going to pay for military resources in Israel to kill children justlike me" and that "this is about Zionism, andZionism is rooted in white supremacy, it is rooted in racism, it is rooted inanti-blackness...this is colonialism and we cannot allow them to divide us."

"We have asked the CFSleadership to review Ms. Alideeb's statements in light of the mandate she holds. Itis also our concern that such remarks contribute to the vilification of JewishCanadians as we have witnessed at all too many rallies on Toronto streets," said Avi Benlolo CEO and President of FSWC. "While FSWC is dedicated to promoting the principles of inclusion and good citizenshipthrough award-winning programs such as our Tour for Humanity, Freedom Day,Speakers Idol and Compassion to Action, it is extremely concerning to see astudent leader denigrate an entire community - a community which in factincludes thousands of the very students she claims to represent."

In a recent release, FSWC condemned organizers of the same rally for permitting racism andantisemitism when a man was photographed wearing a signstating that 9/11 was a Zionist job.

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Media Contact:

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

Follow us on Twitter at@CanadianFSWCfor 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 educationalprograms including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimedTour 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 atwww.fswc.ca.

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