TORONTO (August 29, 2017) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has learned that Unifor’s Canadian Council passed a pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion during a recent convention in Winnipeg. FSWC opposes this decision, which supports the BDS movement against Israel.

“While Unifor claims delegates left the convention with the resolve to ‘push back against the rise of the right’ and ‘build a better world,’ passing the BDS motion shows support for what has proven to be an antisemitic movement,” said Avi Benlolo, FSWC President and CEO. “This motion does not benefit Canadians or Unifor members in any way.”

According to its website, Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 310,000 members across the country.

In early 2016, the BDS movement was formally condemned by the Government of Canada with the passing of a motion that said the movement “promotes the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.” In Decemeber 2016, Ontario passed a similar motion rejecting “the differential treatment of Israel, including the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.”

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To arrange an interview with Avi Benlolo, please contact:

Atara Cadesky 
Communications Associate  
416.864.9735 x 30  
acadesky@fswc.ca

Avital Borisovsky  
Communications Associate    
416.864.9735 x 30  
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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