Antisemitism in Local Authorities

Liverpool City Council

International Definition of Antisemitism

The Council does not appear to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

As part of its response on 15th November 2019, to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Council provided minutes of a Council meeting on 24th January 2018, which show that the Definition was adopted with no mention of the illustrative examples.

On 18th November 2019, the Council confirmed to Campaign Against Antisemitism that the illustrative examples were not included in adoption of the Definition.

Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted a further request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on 27th July 2021, to which the Council responded on 1st November 2021, confirming adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism excluding the illustrative examples.

Campaign Against Antisemitism considers the examples to be integral to the Definition, without which an adoption is not complete. In a statement on 7th August 2018, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance reiterated the integrality of the examples to the Definition.

Incidents

The following are recent incidents relating to the Council’s officials or councillors that have been reported to us, however we recognise that antisemitism is chronically underreported and it is possible that there are incidents that have not been reported. To report an incident, please contact us.

Labour Party Councillor, Sam Gorst, who chanted “From the River to the Sea” at a rally and called a former Jewish Labour MP a “hideous traitor” reportedly had the whip removed.