Warwick University has said it will adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, after the university's Jewish-Israeli Society accused the Vice Chancellor of “intransigence”.
In a letter to Prof Stuart Croft, JSoc presidents Toby Kunin and Yuval Ben-Arzi claimed that the university had not responded since February and was “adamant to stonewall us.”
“We learned from the University’s Director of Press and Media Relations last week that the University is demanding that these discussions be resumed ‘face-to-face’, an inherently unreasonable ask,” they claimed.
The letter also referred to a recent demand by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson that universities adopt the definition by the end of the year.
In response to the letter, Prof Crofts said: “Antisemitism is unacceptable and abhorrent and it will be met with very firm sanctions within our student and staff community.
“In support of this, and upholding the right of freedom of speech and academic freedom in our statutes, we have recognised the IHRA definition and agreed, by way of policy, that it will be taken into account by any disciplinary tribunal in considering a complaint or allegation of antisemitism.
“I have written to the Secretary of State for Education to formally confirm this policy and reiterate that we take the welfare and safety of our Jewish students very seriously.”
In a joint statement with UJS, Warwick JSoc welcomed the news, claiming the “intervention by the Secretary of State for Education has been a deciding factor in what has been a long campaign by Jewish students at the university to ensure that anti-Jewish racism is recognised and tackled effectively.
“This is a welcome first step in guaranteeing the welfare and safety of Jewish students, and we will be seeking further clarification from the University as to how the definition will be used in disciplinary cases.”
In January, Prof Croft said the university had decided not to adopt the definition of antisemitism because it does not offer “any added value”.
Warwick’s Students Union adopted the definition, including all examples, in 2016.
In a recent House of Commons speech, Stoke North MP Jonathan Gullis called out Warwick University for its failure to adopt IHRA, condemning it for “gaslighting Jewish students and the wider Jewish community.”
Mr Gullis also referenced to the November 2019 instance of a Warwick lecturer, Dr Goldie Osuri, declaring antisemitism in the Labour Party was “an Israeli lobby kind of idea”.
In September the university said there were “insufficient grounds” to progress a complaint against Ms Osuri over the statement.
