The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld a landmark ruling that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism and constitutes a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. The judgment rejects the University of Bristol’s attempt to overturn the central findings in favour of its former professor, David Miller.
The ruling reinforces a distinction which pro-Palestine campaigners, Jewish anti-Zionists and civil liberties advocates have defended for years: opposition to Zionism as a political ideology is not inherently the same as hostility towards Jewish people.
In its judgment, handed down on today, the EAT upheld the findings that the university’s decision to dismiss Miller and its refusal of his internal appeal constituted unlawful direct discrimination. It also preserved the conclusions that his dismissal was unfair and wrongful.
“ANTI-ZIONISM PROTECTED BY UK LAW”, said Miller following his victory. “Anti-Zionism is now a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. Full stop.
As an old, I say unto thee, this is relatively new. Back in the before-times, they were very much the same thing in that the guy who used the word Zionist was inevitably a 100% fer-realz racist shitbag nazi klansman. Henry Ford. Charles Lindbergh. Fred Trump. Bubba, down at the Try ‘N Sav.
But hey, times change. I’m only mentioning it because a lot of the freshmen are confused about it.