Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Deeply Disappointed by Toronto City Ruling on Acceptance of Hate in Gay Pride Parade

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 13, 2011) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is deeply disappointed that city bureaucrats have determined the hateful and outrageous term "Israeli apartheid in and of itself does not violate the City's Anti-discrimination policy", essentially giving anti-Israel or anti-Jewish groups the green light to foment hate and intolerance at Pride Toronto.

"The term 'Israeli apartheid' is deeply offensive to the Jewish community and has been condemned by politicians of all parties at both the provincial and federal levels," explains Avi Benlolo, human rights activist and President and CEO of FSWC. "While we remain staunch supporters of Pride Week, the bottom line is that we don't think the city should be bankrolling hate on the streets of Toronto and, - make no mistake about it: despite what may be a strictly legal interpretation, the term "Israeli apartheid" is in every other sense true hate speech pointed directly at the Jewish community," he adds.

Other communities have recently started to oppose the use of the slanderous term as well; student leaders in majority black colleges in the United States have begun speaking out about how the term denigrates the true horrors of the real apartheid that existed in South Africa, and how it obscures the truth about the freedoms and democracy enjoyed by both Arabs and Jews in Israel. To read more about students who oppose the term go to: www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=215811

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center and its membership will continue advocating against this discrimination. Unfortunately, this precedent will open the flood-gates for discrimination against other groups and peoples at Pride.