In October, the government asked NHS England to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, without public consultation. Serious concerns were raised by Doctors in Unite and over 23 other organisations. We think the definition has serious flaws threatening freedom of expression and political debate.
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We believe its examples are vague and conflate criticism of Israel or Zionism with antisemitism, leading to suppression of speech.
We think NHS England must uphold equality and freedom of expression under Art 10 ECHR and s.6 HRA 1998 and that adopting the IHRA definition which has been criticised for lacking legal precision – with some of its uses criticised by the original drafter – risks breaching these duties and chilling open discourse. UK law already protects Jewish communities from hate and discrimination. We urge the government to instruct NHS England to revoke the adoption, reaffirm its anti-racism stance, and consult diverse voices to ensure legal compliance and protect intellectual freedom.