Our University is committed to being an inclusive community, which cherishes diversity. We seek to create a community where hate, harassment and discrimination are never tolerated. Condemning anti-Semitism and tackling any anti-Semitic incidents is very much part of this commitment. Wider work includes our anti-harassment campaign; the work of our Inter-Faith forum; and the groundwork we are starting in preparing to apply for the Race Equality Charter.
Following discussions at our Council and Senate, we have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition on anti-Semitism as a reference point in the development of our staff and student processes. We have also taken the opportunity, as part of our commitment to protect freedom of speech, to acknowledge that it is not anti-Semitic to criticise the Government of Israel and its policies or actions in itself, a clarification other universities have made and as recommended by the by the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2016.
The University of Bath is currently engaged in a two-year initiative to strengthen our policies regarding discrimination and prejudice. This endeavour addresses all protected characteristics noted in the 2010 Equalities Act and is driven by the fundamental values of the University in terms of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. This is just one of a plethora of activities which aim to address any structural, procedural, attitudinal, and knowledge barriers that currently challenge our vision. Our goal is to provide reassurance to all Jewish members of our university community, while safeguarding the space for the free exchange of ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect.