Strasbourg City Council rejects International Definition of Antisemitism wrongly claiming it stifles criticism

Strasbourg City Council has voted against adopting the International Definition of Antisemitism, despite a number of antisemitic incidents in the city during the past year.

The city councillor responsible for religious matters, Jean Werlen, of the dominant left-wing Europe Ecology Party, said that he rejected the definition because it was “out of the question to deny citizens the right to criticise a state.” This concern is widespread and entirely unfounded.

Opposition member Pierre Jakubowicz, who voted in favour of adopting the Definition, said that he was “dismayed” by the decision. “The city of Strasbourg needs this definition because in recent months there have been several notorious antisemitic acts,” said Mr Jakubowicz.

Incidents in the city have included an assault in August 2020 on a young Jewish graffiti artist, and in January of this year, the refusal from two food delivery service drivers to work with Jewish restaurants.

“We are the first democratic assembly in a European state to reject this definition,” Mr Jakubowicz lamented.

Mr Jakubowicz pointed out that the Definition had been adopted by the French National Assembly “at the urging of President Emmanuel Macron,” by the European Parliament whose seat was in Strasbourg, and by the cities of Paris and Nice.

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