Wiesenthal Center Blasts Amnesty International’s Selection of Roger Waters to Present NGO’s Top Human Rights Award

AI’s fight for human rights apparently doesn’t extend to anti-Semitism

Jerusalem

The Simon Wiesenthal Center blasted Amnesty International for selecting Roger Waters to present the International Human rights group’s upcoming 'Ambassador of Conscience'award.

“Once again, Amnesty International is signaling that its fight for human rights apparently does not extend to anti-Semitism,” chargedRabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“Instead of denouncing Roger Waters for his bigotry, Amnesty International places him center-stage of their human rights celebration; the same Roger Waters who brazenly floats a pig witha Jewish Star of David at concerts across Europe, including Germany and Warsaw and who is a leading campaigner promoting a cultural boycott of Israel, the Middle East’s onlydemocracy,” Cooper added.

“In 2001, as one of the spokesman for beleaguered Jewish groups at the ill-fated UN World Conference Against Racism, I experiencedfirst hand Amnesty’s silence and indifference as 3,900 NGOs debased an important global conference into the worst public anti-Israel hate fest since the end of World War II.”

“Today, instead of commending Israel for its humanitarian treatment of injured Syrian combatants and civilians; instead on focusing onthe gassing of Syrian children and mounting human rights abuses in the Arab world; Amnesty Iinternational has chosen to elevate someone who abuses Israel and insults Jewish values andsymbols,” Rabbi Cooper concluded.

For more information please contact the Center’s Public Relations department at 310.553.9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for newsupdates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families inthe 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).