US MAYORS URGED TO CONDEMN LONDON MAYOR LIVINGSTONE FOR ANTISEMITIC INSULTS

The Simon Wiesenthal Center called upon mayors in the U.S. to condemn London Mayor Ken Livingstone by refusing to officially welcome him to their cities until he apologizes for his antisemitic and slanderous remarks against a Jewish reporter and the State of Israel.

"At a time when antisemitism is rampant throughout the U.K. and Europe, we should not allow the Mayor of one of the foremost cities in the world to get away with likening a Jewish reporter to "concentration camp guard" and Prime Minister Sharon a "war criminal who should be in prison not in office," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center.

"A city that is vying to host the Olympics should not have a Mayor who uses his office as a bully pulpit for bigotry. For that reason, and because he has refused consistent calls from Prime Minister Tony Blair, British officials and London's Jewish community to apologize, the Center is urging mayors in the United States to refuse to officially welcome Livingstone to their cities" he concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, or go to www.wiesenthal.com