Toronto(February 6, 2018) - Friends of Simon WiesenthalCenter (FSWC) is dismayed by the report released today by McGill Universityregarding the October vote at the Fall General Assembly of the Students'Society of McGill University (SSMU) – a vote that resulted in the only Jewishstudent and two other students who affiliated with the Jewish community beingbooted off the Board of Directors slate following a campaign replete withantisemitism.

An investigation into thevote was carried out by Professor Spencer Boudreau, who – according to astatement released by the university’s principal and vice-chancellor, SuzanneFortier – concluded that the “evidence did not substantiate the notion that thevote was motivated by antisemitism.” Fortier stated that Boudreau did,however, determine that “two candidates were not ratified because of theirstances on the Israeli-Palestinian situation.” 

“It is simply inexplicable how such aconclusion could be reached when the group leading the charge even admitted andapologized for the antisemitic tropes used leading up to the campaign,” saidFSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “It is incomprehensible to believe that thiswas not antisemitic. The fact that a student was voted off because of hisJewish and national affiliations proves that this vote was motivated byantisemitism.”

“The thin veil of anti-Zionismshould not be allowed to mask the antisemitism at the core of the voting. Whilethe university’s principal has committed to countering antisemitism on campusand we welcome her ongoing efforts through a Task Force to create a climate ofrespect, this report may well serve to deepen the divisive and poisoned atmosphereon campus – where antisemtism is interwoven into anti-Israel campaigns.” 

Since the October vote, the decision to divide the slate which allowed the voteagainst the three candidates was overturned as unconstitutional and all threestudents’ nominations were ratified by a vote of the student body.

Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky  
Communications Associate  
416.864.9735 x 29  
aborisovsky@fswc.ca

Follow us on Twitter at @CanadianFSWC 

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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. 

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