The Council does not appear to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
As part of its response, the Council provided a report and minutes of a Council meeting on 4th March 2021, which shows that the Equalities Policy was adopted.
The Council has told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “At its meeting on the 4th March 2021 the Council adopted a revised Equalities Policy which includes a number of definitions of unacceptable behaviour including the IHRA Definition…Only the definition was adopted not the illustrations.”
As of 26th July 2022, the Equalities Policy has not been published. The Council has told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “Unfortunately it seems we had not published the new Equalities Policy, but we now will…Under FOIA s.22 there is an exemption for information intended for future publication. As our new Equalities Policy is intended for future publication, this exemption is engaged.”
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.
This information was obtained after Campaign Against Antisemitism submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on 12th August 2021, to which the Council responded on 13th August 2021. On 25th July 2022, the Council updated its response.
No incidents relating to the Council’s officials or councillors 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.