Student fury as Warwick Uni suspends IHRA

WARWICK UNIVERSITY has paused use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism pending a rethink, sparking fury from Jewish student groups.

At a meeting last month, the Warwick Assembly, which represents university staff, passed a motion calling for the institution to suspend its use of IHRA by a 93 per cent majority.

The motion said that the university should form a working group that would be responsible for recommending how all forms of racism, including antisemitism, should be handled within the institution.

It also said that IHRA should not be consulted until the working group reports back to the university on its use by the end of the year.

Warwick officially adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism in October 2020, following a furore over a lecturer who said that allegations of Jew-hate within the Labour Party were pushed by the “Israel lobby”.

The university concluded that the lecturer was not being antisemitic, to the “extreme disappointment” of Jewish student groups.

In a joint statement with Warwick Jewish Society, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) condemned the backtrack.

The union said: “UJS and Warwick Jewish Society are frustrated and angered by the Warwick University Assembly for passing a motion to challenge the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.

“How can they claim they want to fulfil their moral duty to protect all members, which includes Jewish students, when this motion clearly disregards the wants and needs of Jewish students?

“Over 100 higher education institutions, all major UK political parties and 35+ countries have adopted the definition, and we urge the University of Warwick to reaffirm its adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism including its use in disciplinary processes and finally fulfil its duty of care.”

UJS and Warwick Jewish Society are frustrated and angered’