Toronto (August 20, 2018) -Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) commends Peel Regional Police for theirquick arrests of three teens after hate-motivated graffiti was discovered on aschool in Mississauga last week.

Each teen was charged with onecount of mischief over $5,000 and will be making court appearances inSeptember. According to police, the vandalism – which included swastikas andother racist and vulgar drawings – is being investigated as a hate-motivatedcrime.

“There is clearly an ongoingneed for tolerance and diversity education inside our schools, as we continue tosee young people commit such hateful acts,” said FSWC President and CEO AviBenlolo. “Educators are urged to recognize the need to bring programs such asHolocaust and human rights workshops to their students so that they areinspired to do good in their communities instead.”

This September, Friends of SimonWiesenthal Center’s Tour for Humanity will be back on the road, educatingstudents about topics related to the Holocaust and human rights and empoweringthem to stand up against antisemitism and other forms of hate in theircommunities. A survey released by FSWC today revealed the importance ofcontinuing such education inside schools, as results showed that 15% of peoplein Canada hold views that can be construed as antisemitic.