A vicar has been found guilty “antisemitic activity” by a first-of-its-kind Church of England public tribunal
Rev Dr Stephen Sizer was found to have carried out “conduct unbecoming” of an ordained minister after sharing a platform with a Holocaust denier and promoting antisemitic material online.
The Tribunal ruled against Sizer after hearing evidence of 11 instances of alleged antisemitism.
He denied the allegations and claims that he is antisemitic but , in an unprecedented judgment, the Tribunal found Dr Sizer’s conduct had “provoked and offended” the Jewish community over a sustained period.
The Anglican priest, who has been suspended from his ministry since 2018, was also criticised for being “disingenuous in his answers”. His punishment will be decided at a later date.
The Tribunal concluded Dr Sizer “pushed the boundaries beyond what was acceptable conduct, and [engaged in] antisemitic activity when he knew, [what] he was posting was virulently antisemitic“.
The Tribunal chair David Pittaway KC said the question was “not whether the Respondent thought that the behaviour should be described as such but whether the Tribunal finds the behaviour to be antisemitic.“
