Teachers in British schools may face a ban on wearing badges supporting Palestine following the completion of a government review on the issue of antisemitism in educational institutions.
According to reports, the report prepared by Sir David Bell, which is expected soon, will advise schools to 'consider the appropriateness' of political statements or identifiers, and to adopt the controversial definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
The results of this review are expected to show that three out of five Jewish students have encountered antisemitism in school. It is widely reported that teachers may be advised to refrain from wearing badges supporting Palestine, including the watermelon symbol, although the report itself does not intend to recommend a complete ban on such badges.
The mandate of this review, which was examined by Middle East Eye, states that it 'will use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism,' which has been widely criticized for its alleged use to persecute criticism of Israel.