TORONTO (July 25, 2017) – Following concerning allegationsthat Western University has been providing support in kind to MichaelLynk– Western law professor and the UN’s “SpecialRapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territoryoccupied since 1967” – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) began aninvestigation into the matter. According to a letter from the university’spresident and vice-chancellor, Amit Chakma, the university accepts Lynk’s useof office space, a shared research assistant whose duties are to researchCanadian law, and two Western Law students who are providing direct support ona voluntary basis.

FSWC is unhappy thatWestern University, as a Canadian university, is accepting that one of itsprofessors is using university resources to further the UN bias against Israelunder the guise of the rapporteur.

“A Canadian university should project fairnessand balance, especially when dealing with international affairs and criticalissues like the conflict in the Middle East,” said Avi Benlolo, President andCEO of FSWC. “As widely known, UN institutions like the UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC) and the General Assembly have a large history of unfair bias againstIsrael.”

According to a 2014 article in Time Magazine, between 2006 and 2014the UNHRC had released 103 resolutions, 56 of which were against Israel, allwhile ignoring the human rights violations by terrorist group Hamas. In 2016, the UNHRC issued fiveresolutions against Israel – five times more than any of the other UN memberstates – while countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and China were nevermentioned.

In December 2016, Israeli Ambassador tothe UN Danny Danon stated that the UN had “passed 223 resolutions condemningIsrael while only eight resolutions condemning the Syrian regime.”

FSWC calls on WesternUniversity to review its policy when it comes to providing resources forextramural activities and reconsider its support of Lynk’s anti-Israel mandate.

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To arrange an interview with Avi Benlolo, pleasecontact:

AtaraCadesky 
Communications Associate 
416.864.9735 x 30 
acadesky@fswc.ca

AvitalBorisovsky 
Communications Associate   
416.864.9735 x 29 
aborisovsky@fswc.ca

Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC for latestnews and organization updates.

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Friends of SimonWiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is a top Jewish human rightsfoundation in Canada's organized Jewish community. It directly impacts over100,000 people each year and 500,000+ peripherally. FSWC is committed tocountering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles oftolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy andeducational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of HopeBenefit, Tools for Tolerance and the widely acclaimed Tour for Humanity.FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewishhuman rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles which has won twoAcademy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built inJerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Councilof Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca. 

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