The fight against antisemitism is not enhanced by any conflation of it and legitimate criticism of Israel’s laws or the policies of its government, write parliamentarians and public figures including Caroline Lucas MP, Stephen Kinnock MP and Jarvis Cocker

We welcome the statement published last week by prominent academics and other figures from the Jewish community (Letters, 16 June). We endorse their clarity on the need for all public bodies and other organisations to be robust in addressing antisemitism within their own organisations and challenging it within wider society.

We agree that this requires clarity about what antisemitism is. We welcome their contribution to establishing such clarity. This is particularly important in addressing what type of speech about Israel may be antisemitic and what is not. We believe that the fight against antisemitism is not enhanced by any conflation of antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel’s laws or the policies of its government.

We believe that adoption of the principles espoused in the statement will help in ensuring robust action against antisemitism and in protecting the right to call for robust action to address the displacement of Palestinians and the denial of their rights by successive Israeli governments.

David Steel Former leader of the Liberal party

Caroline Lucas MP Co-leader of the Green party

Tessa Blackstone Former minister of state

Philippa Whitford MP

Stephen Kinnock MP

Rushanara Ali MP

Richard Burden MP

Clive Lewis MP

Grahame Morris MP

Naz Shah MP

Andy Slaughter MP

Chris Hazzard MP

Clare Short Former secretary of state for international development

Kevin Courtney General secretary of the National Union of Teachers

Jarvis Cocker

Julie Christie

Prof Conor Gearty

Prof Tim Shallice

Sal Brinton President of the Liberal Democrats

Debbie Abrahams MP

Claudia Beamish MSP

Órfhlaith Begley MP

Clive Betts MP

Mickey Brady MP

Tom Brake MP

Victoria Brittain

Alan Brown MP

David Calder Actor

Alex Cunningham MP

Iain Chalmers Founder, Cochrane Collaboration

Louise Christian

Manuel Cortes Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association

Prof Colin Eden

John Finnie MSP

Michelle Gildernew MP

Mary Glindon MP

Professor Rebecca Gould

Professor Penny Green

Professor Dorothy Griffiths

Meral Hussein-Ece President of Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine

Kate Hollern MP

Kelvin Hopkins MP

Christine Jardine MP

Hugh Lanning Chair, Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Ken Loach

David Martin MEP

Paul Maskey MP

Elisha McCallion MP

Andy McDonald MP

Francie Molloy MP

Lord Richard Newby House of Lords leader of the Liberal Democrats

Jared O’Mara MP

Professor Greg Philo

Andrew Phillips

Jocelyn Pook

Chris Rose Director of Amos Trust

Bert Schouwenburg GMB

Shaista Sheehan

Tommy Sheppard MP

Laura Smith MP

John Smith

Karl Turner MP

Harriet Walter

Lord William Wallace

Julie Ward MEP

Norman Warner Former minister of state

Chris Williamson MP

Marie Rimmer MP



• When the Board of Deputies of British Jews and some Labour MPs expressed strong feelings about antisemitism within the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn was called upon to take action, but when Sayeeda Warsi and the Muslim Council of Britain (Report, 4 July) express their concern about Islamophobia in the Conservative party, the party chairman Brandon Lewis, rather than Theresa May, is required to take action. Surely both these issues require action by the leadership of both parties.

Tom Jackson

Stockport

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