Wiesenthal Center: Amnesty International-UK’s Refusal to take on Anti-Semitism Exposes a NGO that has Lost its Moral Compass

April 21, 2015

“The Jewish people cannot overcome history’s oldest hatred without allies and friends amongst its neighbors. It is obvious we cannot count on Amnesty,” says Center official

 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today denounced Amnesty International-UK (AIUK) for voting down a resolution to “Campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK … Lobby the UK Government to tackle the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Britain [and]…monitor anti-Semitism closely."

 

“This travesty is further proof that Amnesty International, the world’s most prominent human rights organization, has lost its moral compass,” charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center.

 

Cooper said, “There are an estimated 150 million Europeans who harbor extreme anti-Israel and/or anti-Semitic views. Anti-Jewish hate crimes and intimidation are at an all-time high across Europe, and European Jews are increasingly targeted by deadly Islamist terrorists. Through its decision to refuse to show solidarity with its fellow Jewish citizens, AIUK reveals itself to be part of the problem, not part of the solution,” he added. “The struggle for human rights and human dignity is based on a level playing field and these ‘human rights campaigners’ refuse to take the field if it means calling out the sources and causes of today’s explosion of hatred against the Jewish people in Europe,” Cooper also said.

 

Rabbi Cooper added that, “Amnesty International failed us at another pivotal moment when it stood by silently at the infamous 2001 UN Anti-Racism Conference in Durban, South Africa, where 3000 NGOs voted to vilify Israel and deleted a resolution which would have condemned the firebombings of synagogues in France.” Cooper served as the spokesman for the Jewish organizations at that ill-fated human rights conclave.

 

“The Jewish people cannot overcome history’s oldest hatred without allies and friends amongst its neighbors. It is obvious we cannot count on Amnesty,” Cooper concluded.

 

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

 

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, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).