Monday, December 12, 2016

UK Backs Antisemitism Definition to Stem Bias; Will Help to Diminish Hate Crimes against Jews

The British government is to formally adopt a definition of what constitutes antisemitism, which includes over-sweeping condemnation of Israel, with Prime Minister Theresa May saying the measure will help efforts to combat hate crime against Jews, The Guardian website reports today (December 12, 2016).

A Downing Street statement said the intention of such a definition was to "ensure that culprits will not be able to get away with being antisemitic because the term is ill-defined, or because different organizations or bodies have different interpretations of it."

The definition reads: "Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."

More detailed guidance says it could be considered antisemitic to accuse Jews of being more loyal to Israel or their religion than to their own nations, or to say the existence of Israel is intrinsically racist.

No comments:

Post a Comment