Statement on Royall Inquiry into antisemitism at the Oxford University Labour Club

Board of Deputies of British Jews President Jonathan Arkush said: “It is clear from this report that Baroness Royall has concluded that there is a problem of antisemitism at Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) which must be addressed.

“There would be no need for 11 recommendations for ‘immediate and sustained action’ if Baroness Royall had not concluded that there were serious problems to tackle.

“We were encouraged by some of these recommendations, namely the suggested use of the Macpherson definition and the idea of training for Labour candidates and activists.

“However, in view of the limited nature of what has been released, it is difficult to judge what the report says on important matters, such as where extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, such as calling Jews ‘Zios’ or singing songs like ‘rockets over Tel Aviv’, becomes antisemitic. These are material considerations when considering what happened in the case of the Oxford University Labour Club.

“Furthermore, we are disappointed that the full report has not been released, in apparent contradiction to Baroness Royall’s express wishes. We note that the original Labour Students investigation was also not released. There seems to be a culture of suppressing or delaying the release of reports on this crucial issue growing up that is not helpful for progress.”

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