Save the Children UK rejects IHRA antisemitism definition in favor of Equality Act
The major British charity has decided to rely on the Equality Act rather than the internationally recognized IHRA definition to address antisemitism, a move criticized by a government envoy.
By Amir Navarro ·
Save the Children UK has officially decided not to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, despite an independent review commissioned by the charity recommending that it do so. The organization, which was established in 1919, operates in more than 100 countries and territories. Its work focuses on emergency relief, child protection, health, nutrition, and education. In recent years, the charity has increased its attention to the Gaza and West Bank regions and has campaigned against the British government's licensing of arms sales to Israel.
The decision follows a report on anti-Muslim hate and antisemitism commissioned in August 2024. That review was initiated after internal meetings regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict, during which colleagues provided feedback on their experiences. The independent review included a specific suggestion that the charity agree on a definition of antisemitism it recognizes, with the IHRA definition cited as the recommended standard.
At the time of the review, Save the Children UK stated that it would carefully consider appropriate definitions for all faith and race-related hate, including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate, by December 2025 at the latest. On Thursday, George Graham, the Director of Global Impact at the charity, informed The Jerusalem Post that the organization had made its final decision against adopting the IHRA definition.
Graham explained that the charity carefully considered various approaches to definitions and evaluated how they would function in practice. As part of this process, the organization sought input from its staff equality networks. Following this review, the Executive Leadership Team decided to utilize the Equality Act and ACAS guidance on race and religion or belief discrimination instead of the IHRA framework.
Graham described the chosen approach as a unifying framework that supports the charity's goal of being an inclusive workplace. He noted that this method provides a clear, inclusive, and legally grounded basis for addressing religious and racial discrimination within the organization.
Despite rejecting the IHRA definition, Graham stated that the charity agreed with the review's recommendation regarding language use. Specifically, staff are encouraged to avoid making Nazi and Holocaust comparisons when discussing the Israel-Hamas War. The charity also advised employees to use the term 'Zionist' with care.
The Director of Global Impact expressed that Save the Children is deeply sad and sorry about the experiences of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred identified through the independent reviews commissioned in 2024. The organization remains committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism, as part of its broader mission.
The decision has drawn criticism from UK political figures. Jon Pearce, a Labour MP and the UK’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, told The Telegraph that the IHRA definition is the internationally recognized benchmark for identifying antisemitism. He argued that one cannot tackle a problem one is unwilling to identify.
Pearce described Save the Children’s failure to adopt the definition as a deeply troubling indication of a wider cultural problem. He went further to call the decision a serious failure of leadership, highlighting the significance of the choice in the context of international standards for addressing antisemitic bias.
