Mendip rejects calls to adopt international anti-Semitism definition saying it is already doing enough
Mendip District Council has rejected calls to adopt the international definition of anti-Semitism – claiming it is already doing enough to protect people from abuse.
Mendip was asked in February to adopt the widely-recognised definition of anti-Semitism set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
A decision was delayed to allow councillors from different parties to discuss whether adopting the definition was necessary given the council's existing policies on equality and preventing discrimination.
The full council voted yesterday evening (September 30) that it was not necessary to adopt the IHRA definition for this reason – though several councillors abstained from the vote in protest.
The IHRA defines anti-Semitism has "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews", leading to rhetoric directed towards "Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities".
Examples of contemporary anti-Semitism listed by the IHRA on its website include:
- Justifying the death of or harm to Jews in the name of religion or a racist ideology
- Making stereotypical allegations about Jews or the power of Jews – such as the myth of a global Jewish conspiracy
- Denying the "fact, scope, mechanisms or intentionality" of the Holocaust
- Accusing Jews of being more loyal to Israel than their own nations
- Denying the right of Jewish people to self-determination (e.g. by claiming the state of Israel is "a racist endeavour"
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel
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