By Cnaan Liphshiz
The Premier League, a consortium comprising the United Kingdom’s top 20 soccer clubs, has endorsed the definition of anti-Semitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA.
In a statement Thursday, the league said it “adopted” the definition to “enable us to be more effective in dealing with any antisemitic behaviour targeting our clubs or personnel.”
The highest ethics body in the world of British soccer is the Football Association, which has not adopted the definition. The Premier League, which is not part of the Football Association, has no disciplinary committee.
The IHRA working definition describes various forms of anti-Semitism, including hatred and discrimination against Jews and Holocaust denial. It also includes examples of anti-Israel language it defines as anti-Semitic, including comparing the country’s policies to those of Nazi Germany.
The British government adopted the IHRA definition in 2018. Since its adoption in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, a body made up of more than 30 countries, the definition has been adopted also by 18 members of the European Union and the United States.
