Toronto (February 3, 2021) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) welcomes the Canadian government's decision to formally designate an additional 13 extremist groups as terrorist organizations, including four white supremacist groups.

In a news release, Public Safety Canada stated that the groups placed on the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities include four ideologically motivated extremist groups Atomwaffen Division, the Base, the Proud Boys and Russian Imperial Movement as well as nine groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

"Given the increasing threat posed by extremist groups in Canada and around the world, we are pleased to see the Canadian government take this important step in protecting the safety of its citizens and combating extremist groups that promote and commit hateful and violent acts," said Michael Levitt, FSWC President and CEO. "In addition to these groups, we continue to urge the government to follow through on listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity."