For Immediate Release
Toronto, October 30, 1996... B'nai Brith today criticized the Liberal Party's characterization of the Reform Party rhetoric as "extreme right".
"We have criticized members of various parties for statements which we consider unacceptable, but this kind of blanket characterization of everything the Reform Party says is really unfortunate," said Professor Stephen Scheinberg, National Vice-President of B'nai Brith and Coeditor of the book "The Extreme Right: International Peace and Security at Risk" to be published in 1997 by Westview.
He further noted that, "to call the Reform Party as a whole extreme right is to stretch the meaning of this term beyond recognition. The Reform Party has in the past been very quick to deal with extremists who have tried to infiltrate their ranks. It will be difficult to recognize real extremists if we apply this term to everyone on the right of centre."
B'nai Brith's League for Human Rights issues its Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents annually and has recognized expertise on hate crimes, hate on the Internet and racists in Canada. The Institute for International Affairs developed the study which formed the basis of the book co-edited by Professor Scheinberg. B'nai Brith has often intervened when the misuse of labels threatens the domain of public and civil debate.
-30-
Institute for International Affairs
| Commission
for Jewish Culture
| Sports Corporation
| League
for Human Rights
| Publications
Current Press Releases
| Government Relations Office
| Centre for Community Action
| B'nai
Brith Foundation
The Jewish Tribune
| Canadian Jewish Law Students Association
| B'nai Brith Canada's Home Page