Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) supports Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman’s recent appeal to the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (SPCW) to remove Linda Sarsour as a guest speaker from its upcoming event.

Sarsour is one of three speakers planned for a panel discussion titled “Sorry Not Sorry: Unapologetically Working for Social Justice,” which is taking place on April 26.

“It’s unfortunate that a conference about championing social justice is including as its featured speaker someone who has allegedly expressed antisemitic views and has drawn contempt from an often-victimized community,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “Social justice organizations should be collaborative and community unifiers. But when even the city’s mayor speaks out, that should raise alarm bells for the organizers and the community.”

FSWC has conducted a petition calling on SPCW to remove Sarsour as a speaker and send a message that hate and antisemitism are not welcome in Canada.

After the original venue for the event, Seven Oaks School Division Performing Arts Centre,cancelled in March, SPCW has since confirmed the Ukrainian Labour Temple as the new venue and refused to disinvite Sarsour.

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Media Contact:‍

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

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