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U of T Bans Group Responsible for Bringing in Neo-Nazi

B’nai Brith Canada applauds a decision by the University of Toronto to ban a group that recruited neo-Nazi Ken O’Keefe to speak at its St. George campus in late April.

B’nai Brith expressed outrage in a press release May 9 that O’Keefe was allowed to deliver hateful and antisemitic lectures at the Beit Zatoun Palestinian cultural centre and the University of Toronto on April 28 and 29.
U of T followed up Friday by deciding that it would no longer allow Modern Knowledge to book space on its campuses. Modern Knowledge was the promotional group responsible for booking O’Keefe’s appearance.

In a statement issued Friday, posted on its official website, U of T reiterated its commitment to combat antisemitism and all forms of racism within its halls.

As previously documented by B’nai Brith, O’Keefe had used his April 29 address at U of T to deny the Holocaust, assert malevolent Jewish control over the media, financial sector, law courts and other elements of society, and blame Jews for the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“We support the University of Toronto’s decision to ban Ken O’Keefe and his hate group from its campus,” said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “Our Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents has demonstrated that antisemitism remains a serious thorn in Canada’s fabric of tolerance and multiculturalism, and university campuses have become a primary location for the expression of antisemitic sentiments. We look forward to continuing our work with the University of Toronto and other Canadian universities in order to keep Jewish students and faculty safe and sound.
“We thank the University of Toronto students who reached out to us and reported this appearance by O’Keefe on our Anti-Hate Hotline. We encourage university students throughout Canada to report any acts of racism or bigotry on campus to our Anti-Hate Hotline.”

Our anti-hate hotline number: 1-800-892-2624.

For more information, please contact:

Marty York
Chief Media Officer (CMO)
B’nai Brith Canada
[email protected]
416-633-6224 x163

Or

Sam Eskenasi
Manager, New Media
B’nai Brith Canada
[email protected]
416-633-6224 x122