UK Employment Appeal Tribunal rules anti-Zionist beliefs meet protected philosophical belief criteria, deeming dismissal of professor David Miller discriminatory and disproportionate.

A UK Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has issued a ruling affirming that Dr. David Miller’s specific anti-Zionist beliefs qualify as protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010. The EAT upheld the earlier decision of an Employment Tribunal, which found that Miller’s dismissal for comments expressing opposition to political Zionism was disproportionate and discriminatory.
Dr. Miller, a former professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol from 2018 to 2021, was dismissed for gross misconduct stemming from remarks he made in February 2021. These comments included assertions that the “enemy we face here is Zionism and the imperial policies of the Israeli state,” calls for the “ending of Zionism,” and claims that “Zionism is racism” and that it is the “cause of antisemitism.” He also argued that Zionism deliberately fosters Islamophobia and that Jewish student groups supporting Israel pose a threat to Arab and Muslim students.
Following his dismissal, Miller lodged a complaint with the Employment Tribunal, contending that his beliefs were protected, that he faced harassment for holding them, and that he was wrongfully dismissed. The EAT’s ruling confirmed that the particular beliefs Miller advanced—specifically, the view that political Zionism is inherently racist, imperialistic, and colonial, and thus must be opposed—met the legal criteria for protection under section 10 of the Equality Act.
The tribunal acknowledged that Miller’s definition of Zionism did not support the use of violence as a means of opposition. The university attempted to argue that Miller’s self-description of his beliefs was inaccurate, but the EAT stated it could not revisit this point since it wasn’t contested during the initial Tribunal hearing.
While the ruling does not establish that all anti-Zionist views are protected, it clarifies that certain specific anti-Zionist beliefs can be considered philosophical and thus entitled to protection if they satisfy the Grainger criteria. The decision reinforces the principle that employers cannot dismiss employees for protected beliefs, even if those beliefs are controversial, unless such dismissal can be shown to be a proportionate response.

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