Barking and Dagenham councillors voted unanimously at a full council Assembly meeting on Wednesday 30 January, to join councils across the country in adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

The motion was put forward by the Cllr Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement.

The motion reads:

This council expresses alarm at the rise in antisemitism in recent years across the UK.

This includes incidents when criticism of Israel has been expressed using anti-Semitic tropes. Criticism of Israel can be legitimate, but not if it employs the tropes of imagery and antisemitism.   

Welcoming the decision, Cllr Ashraf said: “We treat the issue with seriousness especially in the week where we have just marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a significant event.

“We would like to reiterate our commitment to ensuring everyone in our borough is treated with the respect that they deserve. Our borough is no place for hate as we are one borough and one community.”