The United Kingdom’s House of Commons unanimously passed a motion Wednesday, moving to label ISIS’s actions against Christians and other religious minorities as genocide.

Tabled by Member of Parliament (MP) Fiona Bruce, the motion also calls upon the British government to refer the issue to the United Nation Security Council (UNSC).

However, though the motion was passed without opposition, only 278 out of the 650 MPs participated in the vote. All ministers and parliamentary aides on the government payroll were directed by the Foreign Office to abstain from the vote. As reported by The Guardian, Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood said that, rather than labeling ISIS actions as genocide, Parliament should focus on compiling evidence against the group. He personally believes genocide has taken place, but said that it should be taken up by the courts, and not politicians.

Speaking to Christian Today, Conservative MP David Burrowes criticized the government’s position, saying, “This issue will not go away. The payroll was ordered to abstain from the vote and no doubt many of them would have supported the motion as well.”

According to Premier, during the three-hour debate prior to the vote, Bruce said:

Genocide is a word of such gravity, implications and history, that it should never be used too readily. It is rightly known as the “crime above all crimes.” For this reason alone it is incumbent upon all of us to prevent the term from devaluation or over-use.

But such caution must not stop us from naming a genocide where one is taking place.

The proposers of this motion are here to insist that the overwhelming evidence of the atrocities of Daesh in Syria and Iraq is recognized for the genocide it is, and is considered as such by the UN Security Council and International Criminal Court — and to support similar resolutions of other leading international and legislative bodies.

Unless the UK government refuses the decision of Parliament, it must now refer the motion to the UNSC, asking the International Criminal Court to commence proceedings against ISIS. Once referred to the security council, the motion would then require a unanimous vote before measures could be taken against the terror group.

After the vote was taken, Bruce expressed her approval of the decision and said, “It is now the Government’s responsibility to make a referral to the UN Security Council as soon as possible, and we look forward to the Foreign Office confirming its intention to do this in the very near future.”