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MONTREAL, September 11, 2006 – Urging non-Jewish leaders to stand up against antisemitism, Tony Comper, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group, today announced that FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together), the organization he founded with his wife, Elizabeth, will be expanding its program into Quebec. In a speech to business leaders at the Canadian Club of Montreal, Mr. Comper called upon all those “with still-open hearts and minds to stand up and speak out against discrimination, wherever and however it rears its ugly head, and marginalize the antisemites and bullies and bigots and take away their power to intimidate.” In light of the recent tragic escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, Mr. Comper also warned that the tendency to single out Israel for criticisms and international sanctions “out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East” will have the unintended consequence of providing “those with darker motives” with a justification for hating Jews. “While well-educated and presumably well-intentioned critics may be able to clearly distinguish ‘Israeli policy’ from ‘the Jews’,” Mr. Comper said, “the fineness of the distinction is lost – often wilfully so – on people in search of a pretext and trolling around for permission to further enflame antisemitism. “So, as much as I may defend these critics’ right to criticize,” he concluded, “as a founder of FAST and a student of history, I truly wish that they would consider all the possible implications before making these public statements.” While antisemites may be “impervious to reason and logic and the truth of history,” Mr. Comper said, “that doesn’t mean they can’t be effectively opposed.” “One thing we certainly can do and are doing,” he said, “is showing the world what kind of people refuse to buy the rot of antisemitism and are willing to stand up and repudiate it publicly.” To coincide with Mr. Comper’s speech, FAST today published a list of prominent – “and pointedly non-Jewish” – business and community leaders in Quebec and across Canada (see attached list) who are willing to stand up and repudiate antisemitism publicly. Building on an educational program that has already been introduced in 30 school board districts in Ontario, FAST is now developing French-language and English-language versions of Choose Your Voice that are tailored to the unique educational requirements and needs of the people of Quebec. Aimed at the “hearts and minds” of students in grades 6 to 9, the Choose Your Voice resource kit gives teachers tools to help their students learn about the dangers of hatred and stereotypes, and find their voices to combat them. It encourages students not to be bystanders or perpetrators but heroes, by speaking out. The kit contains four lesson plans, written by a team of teachers, to address prejudice. Each lesson contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which we construct stereotypes and the ways prejudice and misunderstanding have contributed to our past and our present in Canada. The kit also contains an award-winning DVD with compelling messages about the dangers of antisemitism and racism. It includes an introduction to FAST as well as four segments that match each of the lessons in the kit. “We realize we may never get to those kids who acquired their antisemitism, and/or baseless hatred of any kind, at the parental knee,” said Mr. Comper. “But we can help to marginalize them, strip them of their influence, make them ineffectual and leave them muttering in the mirror to an audience of one.” Mr. Comper called on the audience to do its own bit to repudiate antisemitic slurs. “You don’t have to belong to our organization to stick it to antisemites,” he said. “(But) whatever method of derision FAST supporters and other non-Jews of goodwill may choose, … the time has passed for grimacing politely, letting the bigot ‘have his opinion,’ and easing away unobtrusively…. “As history, both ancient and modern, clearly and cruelly shows,” he concluded, “antisemitic words often birth antisemitic deeds. Or, just as vile, attempt to make these deeds ‘acceptable’.” FAST Supporters: Elizabeth Comper Tony Comper A. Charles Baillie Laurent Beaudoin John M. Cassaday Anne and John Clark Ed Clark Richard J. Currie Dominic D'Alessandro Joan T. Dea André Desmarais Ron Farmer Dan Fortin Robert J. Foster David A. Galloway Peter C. Godsoe Scott M. Hand Linda Haynes and Martin Connell Timothy J. Hearn John Hunkin Joseph Iannicelli Aris Kaplanis Morris Klid Daniel Labrecque Claude Lessard Libby MacAulay and J. Blair MacAulay Bill MacKinnon Michael H. McCain C. Sanford McFarlane (1943-2006) The Honourable Michael A. Meighen and Mrs. Kelly Meighen Robert A. Milton Bruce H. Mitchell Gordon M. Nixon Philip S. Orsino Courtney Pratt Réal Raymond Glenn Rice Michael J. Sabia Antoinette and Joseph Sorbara Donald A. Stewart Marc P. Tellier Rick Waugh W. Galen Weston Torrance Wylie About FAST: FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together) is a coalition of non-Jewish Canadian business and community leaders who have come together to speak out against antisemitism and to fund education and other projects that encourage other non-Jews to speak out. This coalition was founded by Elizabeth and Tony Comper in response to the documented increase in vicious anti-Jewish incidents in Canada. -30- For further information, please contact: Ronald Monet, Montreal, Ralph Marranca, Toronto, |
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