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News Releases 2012

"School, police and government's inaction is tantamount to complicity."

Paris, 13 June 2012

In a letter to Norwegian Minister of Justice, Grete Faremo, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels expressed shock "at the firebanding of a Jewish boy at an Oslo secondary school barbecue on Monday.

The letter pointed out that "apparently, this child has been the subject of antisemitic bullying and violence for the past two years, reportedly, because his father is Israeli", continuing "what is even more astonishing is that, despite the mother's report of assaults on her son to NRK radio evening news in 2010, there has been no reaction by the school, the police or governmental authorities." 

Samuels noted that "the boy has stated that he must stay clear of Norwegian and Muslim children and hide his parentage to avoid continued 
antisemitic attacks", adding that "these young school hatemongers point to a new generation of Breivik-style racists for Norway's future. You 
have a responsability to protect every threatened child and, especially, this victim targetted simply for being Jewish." 

The Centre stressed that "the silence of the school, the police and your government is too reminiscent of another Norway, under the WWII Nazi collaborator, Quisling." 

"Our Centre urges your immediate investigation of this case and protective and judicial action, as continued silence is tantamount to complicity" concluded Samuels.

Paris, 6 June 2012

In a letter to the European Commission Vice-President, Viviane Reding, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, urged her condemnation of the "odious presence in the European Parliament (EP) yesterday of the owner and broadcaster of the racist Radio Marya. 'Father' Tadeusz Rydzyk not only dishonours the Polish Church, he has now tainted the European Union in its own headquarters."

Samuels called on the Commission "to censure Rydzik's hosts, the MEP's of Poland's Law and Justice Party for their abuse of the EP's democratic values by introducing a notorious hatemonger into its chamber." 

The letter pointed out that "the European, Conservative and Reformist (ECR) club in the European Parliament, to which the Law and Justice Party (LJP) is affiliated must be warned. It is especially disquieting to discover the British Conservative Party's alliance with the Polish LJP." 

"These three days at UNESCO in Paris were redolent of the antisemitic hatefest at the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism in Durban."

Paris, 1st June 2012

In a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr.Shimon Samuels, expressed "intense disgust at the three-day United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine that concluded today at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, subtitled 'The Role of Youth and Women in the Peaceful Resolution of the Question of Palestine'" continuing, "At the opening, I was heartened by your video-message encouraging 'Palestinian and Israeli youth to build a future of peace' and urging 'greater involvement of women in the peace process'".

Paris, 7 May 2012

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Director for International Relations, Dr Shimon Samuels, on behalf of the Centre's 400,000 members and its Dean and Founder, Rabbi Marvin Hier, congratulated newly elected French President François Hollande.

Wishing him success in the challenges ahead, Samuels added, "since the inauguration of President François Mitterrand in 1981, our Centre has 
maintained a warm cooperation with all your predecessors at the Elysée, which we look forward to continuing under your administration, 
especially in combating incitement to hate, racism and antisemitism."

Paris, 10 April 2012

In a letter to French Presidential candidates, incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party leader François Hollande, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre - France President, Richard Odier and its Director for International Relations Dr. Shimon Samuels, pointed out that "for over thirty-one years, every President of France has voiced his steadfast commitment to bring to justice the perpetrator of the October 1980 bombing of the Rue Copernic Synagogue of Paris."

The letter continued, "despite our doubts, for years we were told that this was an act of neo-Nazis. Three years ago, the French authorities requested the extradition from Canada of Hassan Diab, a Lebanese-Palestinian alleged member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who was charged with the atrocity. Diab was later to become an Adjunct Sociology Professor at Ottawa University in Canada".