PETERBOROUGH (October 1, 2017) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center's (FSWC) Tour for Humanity was in Peterborough this afternoon, confronting hate directly as part of the city's Solidarity Weekend. 

"FSWC is pleased to have joined this weekend's events designed to counter the hate and intolerance that white nationalists tried to bring to the streets of Peterborough this weekend," said Avi Benlolo, President and CEO of FSWC. "Through the bus we engaged in powerful discussions with community members, inspiring them to use education as a tool for speaking out against all forms of hate."

Counter-protests took place throughout this weekend in opposition to yesterday's planned anti-immigration rally that was organized by the group Canadian Nationalist Front. Despite yesterday's reported violence, today's gathering brought peaceful dialogue and unity among community members.

The personal stories shared with FSWC while in Peterborough were uplifting. FSWC learned that some non-Jewish residents stood outside the city's synagogue to offer protection for Yom Kippur. A student who had experienced Tour for Humanity last year said he loved it and made sure to stop by with his mother today so she, too, could share the experience. FSWC was saddened, however, to learn from a woman who came by the bus today that a sign she had on her yard that said "welcome" in many languages was torn down last night.

The Tour for Humanity is a ground-breaking mobile human rights education center created by FSWC to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices and take actions against hate and intolerance and to promote justice and human rights.

To learn more about Tour for Humanity, visit www.tourforhumanity.com.

Tour for Humanity near Peterborough's Confederation Park today:

‍

‍

Media Contacts: 

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

________________________________________________________________________________

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. 

 Canadian Headquarters: Toronto       Branches: Los Angeles • New York • Chicago • Paris • Buenos Aires • Israel