Preacher launches legal challenge against UK government over IHRA antisemitism definition

Preacher launches legal challenge against UK government over IHRA antisemitism definition Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 14:42 Bea Foster tells MEE she was left 'heartbroken' after being forced out of anti-racism charity over Facebook post in which she called Israel an 'apartheid state' Methodist preacher Bea Foster helped to found the anti-racism charity she was forced to leave (Supplied) Off An elderly Methodist preacher is set to launch the first legal challenge to the UK government's use of a contested definition of antisemitism after ministers used it to force a charity to remove her as a trustee over a Facebook post in which she described Israel as an apartheid state. Bea Foster, a 76-year-old community worker from Burnley, Lancashire, will argue that the government unlawfully penalised her for expressing political views on Israel and Palestine , breaching her rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and protection from discrimination. Speaking exclusively to Middle East Eye, Foster said her motivation to pursue the case stemmed from the misuse of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism by public and private institutions to shut down criticism of Israeli government policies.