Six Scottish academics have spoken out against four other Jewish educators who last week quit the 12,000-member University and College Union after it rejected the European Union Monitoring Centre’s (EUMC) determination.
The detailed guidance paper defines anti-Semitism as a hatred towards Jews and says the “rhetorical and physical manifestations” of it can also target the state of Israel.
The organisation’s full name is „European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia”, now changed to “European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights” (FRA). According to the EUMC site, it is a matter of a “working definition” dating back to 2005.
The full working definition is ““Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
I have to say that the phrase “a certain perception” is hardly clear and the concept of “manifestations” implies a causal theory of uncertain scope. The descriptive passages of things that “could be” examples thereafter are in fact more illuminating. They strike me as pretty wide, difficult to prove and likely to inhibit or close down several areas of legitimate historical and political debate in countries where they have legal effect.