The 107-page report commissioned by the government recommends measures to rightly protect Jewish pupils, but will it empower Israeli nationalism abroad?
Free speech is a liberty we take for granted, yet the DNA of its making is eroding through a carefully constructed alleyway of slowly integrated practices. By that I mean, implement the lot in one go, you’ll notice; but slowly begin the process of restriction over several years and you’ll only notice once it’s gone. The UK government recently accepted the findings of a report into antisemitism, authored by public policy analyst Sir David Bell.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell has accepted its findings and pledged to integrate recommendations from the 107-page document. In a statement, the MP for Manchester Central said: “I agree with Sir David that the use of a common and consistent definition will improve understanding and confidence.”
Uneven Findings
The government’s proposed move to introduce stricter measures to counter antisemitism is starting to evolve into something potentially sinister. In the report, Sir David Bell, said: “Its (antisemitism) modern manifestations are having a pernicious impact in too many places, so it is vital that my recommendations are acted upon and acted upon quickly.”
However, its recommendations do not align with the findings. Despite the report containing several anecdotes of an anti-Jewish nature, the measures risk restricting support for Palestine rather than introducing preventative measures for antisemitism.
The report contains accounts of anti-Jewish sentiment alongside incidents involving Israel and Palestine. However, it does not establish what proportion of reported incidents involved anti-Jewish prejudice compared with political expressions concerning Israel.
Recommendations
Sir David Bell, who conducted the report, recommends that schools adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, despite the IHRA receiving funding from Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom, whose interests in the Middle East remain in conflict. If we were to implement its recommendations, then all schools should adopt measures against anti-Middle Eastern prejudice to reflect Islamophobic intent.
It also recommends that teachers and schools undergo specific training on antisemitism and reinforce Holocaust learning in the curriculum.
If this is to take place, then the UK government must include a more robust learning schedule to reflect colonialism, which continues to have a major impact on race and perceptions of race today.
The report, in my view, is a reflection of a continuing bias towards care for Israel, not Jewish people, and is fortified by its findings and the lack of protections for activities, advocates and Palestinians in general.
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