The decision of the Labour government to accept in its entirety the Bell report into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England represents a further attempt to repress solidarity with Palestine and bolster the Zionist narratives being force-fed to young people in educational establishments. The so-called ‘independent’ review, published by the Department of Education on 21 October, seeks to, among its 27 measures:
- Ensure schools and colleges adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which deliberately conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism;
- Ban the wearing of any symbol in support of Palestine by teachers;
- Create a hierarchy of racism, whereby perceived ‘anti-Jewish’ racism is placed in its own special class of racial hatred, separate from any existing anti-racism and anti-bullying policies;
- Allow unfettered access by Zionist outfits passing themselves off as ‘anti-racist’ organisations (such as the Community Security Trust, JNF UK and StandWithUS UK)
- to provide their version of history through workshops, trips to Israel etc – while clamping down on any discussion of the rights of Palestinians. Schools will be
- ‘supported’ to get the right ‘geopolitical balance’ in discussions on the Middle East.
Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism
The report itself is a blatant piece of skewed propaganda, based on a tiny sample of students and distorting its findings to best serve the Zionist agenda. It is based on a survey of 5,000 students aged 16-18 of whom only 92 were Jewish. Of these 92, just 70 responded to a question asking if they had personally experienced antisemitism at school or college: of these, 29 said they had. 12% of students said antisemitism was a problem at their schools; just 2% said it was a big problem. All racism is pernicious, but this is a ridiculously tiny sample on which to base an entire educational policy. The report in fact concluded that anti-Jewish attitudes were neither prevalent nor increasing: what had increased was widespread hostility to Israel. Yet the Department for Education published the report and accepted its recommendations on the fraudulent basis that ‘antisemitism is a growing problem in school and colleges’. David Bell himself, a former permanent secretary at the Department of Education, is a member of the National Council of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East, which is involved in building academic links with Israel; if anyone were in any doubt where his sympathies lie, while head of Ofsted in 2005 he accused Muslim schools of ‘undermining social cohesion’ in Britain.
A hierarchy of racism
Under the Bell recommendations, ‘antisemitism’ will be reclassified as a safeguarding issue, with a far higher level of sanction and investigation than that granted to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller or black students – those most subject to exclusions and suspensions by schools – or children from Muslim backgrounds disproportionately targeted by the state’s transparently racist Prevent programme, already extensively used to clamp down on pro-Palestinian solidarity.
The government is pushing to entrench Zionist ideology in educational institutions across England. It is a reflection of the state’s frustration that over the last three years it has been unable to quash a growing tide of solidarity with Palestine as young people are increasingly radicalised by the atrocities of the Zionist settler state. It is vital to fight back against these measures. When the IHRA – a set of ‘guidelines’ with no legal status whatsoever – was being widely rolled out in 2016 with the enthusiastic support of the Corbyn-led Labour Party, the RCG protested at council meetings across the country against their adoption of the policy. Now is the time to mobilise inside and outside schools and colleges to reject the IHRA, defend teaching staff who wear symbols of Palestine solidarity and reject British state collaboration with Zionism.
