Jenrick anger over universities’ refusal to back IHRA definition
COMMUNITIES SECRETARY Robert Jenrick has said he is “extremely disappointed” that universities have ignored his request to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definitionof antisemitism,afterasurvey by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) revealed that almost 80 per cent had failed to adopt it.
Just 29 of the UK’s 133 higher education institutions confirmed they had adoptedIHRA,whichincludestheexamples of holding Jews responsible for the actions of Israel and comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
Eighty universities responded to a Freedom of Information request by the Unionof JewishStudentstosaytheyhad no plans to adopt the IHRA definition, while 17 said officials intended to discuss it the coming months.
Both Oxford and Cambridge are among the universities that have refused. Some universities cited academic freedom of speech as a reason not to use it, while others said there was no need for a specific definition to be adopted in university policy.
Mr Jenrick, who has threatened universitieswithfundingcutsif theydidnot adoptthedefinition,said:“I’mextremely disappointed by these findings.
“Education is one of the most powerful tools we can use to combat antisemitism and adopting and actively using the IHRA definition of antisemitism sends a clear signal that universities are serious about tackling antisemitism on campuses. Some progress has been made since I urged all universities and the higher education institutions to adopt the IHRA definition but I urge others to do so without delay.
“Itissimplyunacceptablethatuniversities accept public money but refuse to take this step.
“I am frankly appalled by some of the examples of antisemitic abuse I continue to hear of on campus.”
The UJS has called for “a culture change” after accusing more than 100 educationalinstitutionsof “defying”the government’s repeated call to adopt the definition.
“Nine months on from the Secretary of State’s intervention, and following our extensive lobbying of universities, freedom of information requests have shown that only 29 out of the 133 higher education institutions in the UK have adopted the IHRA definition,” the UJS said in a statement.
“Whilstpleasedthatalmost30institutionshavetakenstepstoprotecttheJewish students by adopting this definition, we continue to be frustrated and dissatisfied that universities have failed to sufficientlyprotecttheirJewishstudents from anti-Jewish racism, the oldest form of racial hatred.”
Robert Halfon MP, who chairs Parliament’s Education Select Committee, said: “It is both shocking and disappointing that, yet again, antisemitism is swept under the carpet by some of our major higher education institutions in our country.
“It seems strange that they are prepared to virtue signal on so many
PC issues butwhenitcomestoJewishpeople,they are ignored.”
The UJS contacted universities on July 6 and have subsequently been told that 17 higher education institutions are to discuss the definition as part of a formal meeting in the coming months. Labour’sshadoweducationsecretary Kate Green said that while it was “welcome that a number of universities have adopted the IHRA definition or are considering it”, the survey proved “many more are yet to act, and must do so.” She added: “Freedom of speech and thought are important but can never be an excuse for antisemitism.
“Labour urges those universities which are yet to adopt the definition to do so as soon as possible.”
UJS campaigns organiser Bradley Langer called for universities to “step up and demonstrate their support for Jewish students and staff”. He said: “The only way to achieve the mass adoption and implementation is for Jewish students to take the lead creating grassroots campaigns on campusesandforcinguniversity to staff to see the need.
“It is now time for there to be a cultureshiftwheretheadoption of the IHRA definition is seen as an example of ‘ good practice’ and not a controversial step.”
Universities have failed to sufficiently protect Jewish students’