Conservatives on Labour-run London Borough of Tower Hamlets have accused it of hosting an “inflammatory and antisemitic” petition that attacks the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

The petition was tabled in response to the council's decision to adopt the International Holocaust definition of Jew-hate last month. It calls for a caveat to be included in the council’s code which “safeguards our right to campaign for Palestine in Tower Hamlets.”

The proposed caveat says: “It is not antisemitic, without additional evidence, to suggest that it displays anti-Jewish prejudice to criticise the Government of Israel; or to criticise Zionism as a political ideology; or to describe any policy or law or practices of the state of Israel as racist, including acts leading to Palestinian dispossession as part of the establishment of the state; or to define Israel as an apartheid state; or to advocate Boycott Divestment and Sanctions against Israel."

The petition is backed by both the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Free Speech on Israel groups who claim that the council's decision to pass, unopposed, a Conservative motion to adopt the IHRA definition, along with its examples of how criticising Israel can be antisemitic, “threatens to undermine many years of practical solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of decades of dispossession and occupation.”

The petition alleges many of the examples which accompany the IHRA definition conflate opposition to Israel with antisemitism, threatening to undermine many years of practical solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of decades of dispossession and occupation.

It says: “We note that the motion was moved by Conservative councillors, whose party had been at the forefront of promoting Islamophobia and the racist 'hostile environment' that has affected the lives of so many of our residents.”

The petition also calls for the council to fly the Palestinian flag for two week in November to "support Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza".

In a statement, a spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Conservative group told the JC: "The people bringing this petition have every right to do so but the language they use is inflammatory and antisemitic. We have written to the chief executive of the Council to raise this serious concern". 

The JC has learned that at least two Labour Councillors avoided attending last month’s debate on adopting the IHRA definition – but the move to implement the code was allowed to proceed without a formal vote after it became clear that a clear majority of councillors backed it.

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson told the JC: “At a meeting of the full council last month, councillors voted overwhelmingly to adopt the unedited definition of anti-Semitism as set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

“The petition on our website represents the views of the petitioners, not the council. It has been open for two weeks and has attracted 23 signatures in that time.

“The council will respond appropriately once the window for signatures has closed.”

Last week, it emerged that a rising star of Tower Hamlets Labour has been accused of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media.

Mohammed Pappu, 26, a councillor at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets until Monday, reportedly wrote on Facebook that Britain was attacking Syria “to install a Rothschild bank”.

He is also accused of sharing posts claiming that Israel had staged 9/11, the London bombings and the Paris terrorist attacks.

Mr Pappu, who was photographed alongside opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn at last month’s Labour conference, resigned from his council position  and apologised unreservedly after he was confronted by the Times over the alleged antisemitic posts.

At the conference, Mr Corbyn praised Tower Hamlets council for helping to create a “fair and just society”.

Labour had put Mr Pappu in charge of governance scrutiny at the council, whose children’s services have been rated as inadequate, and was vice-chairman of the grants scrutiny committee.

Backed by the pro-Corbyn Momentum activist group, Mr Pappu was elected the black and ethnic minority officer for Young Labour in February.

He has been suspended by the party pending an investigation.