(i) Hunting
In accordance with Rule No. 13.1, Councillor Mrs G. Dawn will move and Councillor P. Peacock, will second a motion to the following effect:
“This Council notes that the hunting of wild animals with dogs is illegal under the terms of the Hunting Act 2004, except where an exemption applies.
This Council therefore calls for the immediate cessation of trail hunting, exempt hunting, exercising of packs of hounds and any gatherings that support these activities on Newark and Sherwood District Council land”.
(ii) Anti-Semitism
In accordance with Rule No. 13.1, Councillor D. Lloyd will move and Councillor P. Peacock, will second a motion to the following effect:
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to all local authorities encouraging them to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as a clear message that anti-Semitic behaviour will not be tolerated.
Last year, Community Security Trust released their report on antisemitic incidents in the first six months of 2019. It showed the highest total on record over a six-month period, and an increase of 10% on the same period in 2018, with over 100 incidents per month for the third year running. Similarly, the annual figures for 2018 showed the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record.
The Council notes that the IHRA definition is already used in guidance for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, providing examples of the kinds of behaviours which, depending on the circumstances, could constitute antisemitism. It also recognises that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief also recently released a report which agreed that “the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism can offer valuable guidance for identifying antisemitism in its various forms” and encouraged its use in “education, awareness-raising and for monitoring and responding to manifestations of antisemitism”.
The definition is not designed to be legally binding, but it is an invaluable tool for public bodies to understand how antisemitism manifests itself in the 21st century. It demonstrates a commitment to engaging with the experiences of Jewish communities and supporting them against the contemporary challenges they face.
The Council is opposed to all forms of hate crime and prejudice and is recommended to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The Council is further recommended to request the Director - Governance and Organisational Development, as the Council’s Lead Officer for Equalities, to consider how best to raise awareness of this definition and its application within the Council
Minutes:
(i) Hunting
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 13.1, Councillor Mrs G. Dawn moved and Councillor P. Peacock seconded a motion to the following effect:
“This Council notes that the hunting of wild animals with dogs is illegal under the terms of the Hunting Act 2004, except where an exemption applies. This Council therefore calls for the immediate cessation of trail hunting, exempt hunting, exercising of packs of hounds and any gatherings that support these activities on Newark and Sherwood District Council land”.
The motion, on being put to the vote, was declared lost with 9 votes for, 24 against and 1 abstention.
(ii) Anti-Semitism
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 13.1, Councillor D. Lloyd moved and Councillor P. Peacock seconded a revised motion to the following effect:
“The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government has written to all local authorities encouraging them to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as a clear message that anti-Semitic behaviour will not be tolerated.
Last year, Community Security Trust released their report on antisemitic incidents in the first six months of 2019. It showed the highest total on record over a six-month period, and an increase of 10% on the same period in 2018, with over 100 incidents per month for the third year running. Similarly, the annual figures for 2018 showed the highest number of antisemitic incidents on record.
The Council notes that the IHRA definition is already used in guidance for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, providing examples of the kinds of behaviours which, depending on the circumstances, could constitute antisemitism. It also recognises that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief also recently released a report which agreed that “the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism can offer valuable guidance for identifying antisemitism in its various forms” and encouraged its use in “education, awareness-raising and for monitoring and responding to manifestations of antisemitism”.
The definition is not designed to be legally binding, but it is an invaluable tool for public bodies to understand how antisemitism manifests itself in the 21st century. It demonstrates a commitment to engaging with the experiences of Jewish communities and supporting them against the contemporary challenges they face.
The Council is opposed to all forms of hate crime and prejudice and is recommended to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The Council also notes that the Gypsy and Traveller Community, has also endured a history of genocide, oppression, persecution, forced adoption and discrimination. In line with its opposition to all forms of hate crime and prejudice, the Council is recommended to adopt the Alliance Against Anti-Gypsyism (AAAG) definition of anti-gypsyism, which is:
“Anti-gypsyism is a historically constructed, persistent complex of customary racism against social groups identified under the stigma ‘gypsy’ or other related terms, and incorporates: a homogenizing and essentialising perception and description of these groups; the attribution of specific characteristics to them; and discriminating social structures and violent practices that emerge against that background, which have a degrading and ostracising effect and which reproduce structural disadvantages.”
The Council is further recommended to request the Director - Governance & Organisational Development, as the Council’s Lead Officer for Equalities, to consider how best to raise awareness of these definitions and there application within the Council.”
The Motion, on being put to the vote, was declared carried unanimously.