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Geoffrey Alderman

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Geoffrey Alderman,

Geoffrey Alderman

Opinion

Towards a helpful definition

April 7, 2016 07:24
2 min read

On March 30 last year, without any fanfare, a British government minister made probably the most important statement on anti-Jewish prejudice that any British government spokesperson has made. Yet that statement - an official expression of government policy - went almost totally unreported in the media.

Go to the website of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and search "Sir Eric Pickles", who now serves as the UK's "Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues." You will find an "article" by Pickles entitled "A definition of antisemitism."

"The problem of antisemitism," Pickles wrote, "continues to be a serious one. One issue is the absence of an agreed international definition of antisemitism." And having stated the obvious, Pickles then spent almost 800 words remedying this deficiency. "The Government," he insisted, "is committed to ensuring that British people of all faiths and ethnicities can live without fear of abuse or attack... The UK Government's overall policy is that it is up to the victim to determine whether a crime against them was motivated by any particular characteristics… However, for those seeking a definition of antisemitism, the UK's College of Policing does include a working definition of antisemitism in their guidance to police forces in the UK."

Pickles then proceeded to reproduce the College of Policing's definition: