'Coherent to describe Zionism as racist': UK tribunal upholds protection for anti-Zionist beliefs

'Coherent to describe Zionism as racist': UK tribunal upholds protection for anti-Zionist beliefs A UK Appeals Tribunal has said that it is coherent to describe Zionism as a racist ideology, as it "promotes the establishment of a state for only one race of people", adding that it could also be described as "colonial and imperialistic". "It is coherent to describe as 'racist' an ideology [Zionism] that promotes the establishment of a state [in this case, Israel] for only one race of people [Jewish] in a territory that formerly contained a large number of people of a different race [Palestinians]," the court said in a judgement handed down on Tuesday. "Such an ideology, which supports the migration of members of the first group into the territory with the support of an imperial power to dislodge an indigenous population, could also coherently be described as colonial and imperialistic.” The ruling comes from the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT), which upheld an earlier employment tribunal's ruling that the University of Bristol unlawfully discriminated against Professor David Miller by dismissing him over comments expressing his anti-Zionist beliefs.

An earlier tribunal, in 2024, had ruled that Professor David Miller’s dismissal over his anti-Zionist beliefs amounted to unlawful direct discrimination by the university, which challenged that decision. The EAT rejected Bristol's challenge and held that the lower tribunal "had not erred in any of its conclusions on liability", including its finding that Miller's "protected philosophical beliefs" about Zionism. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Miller, a professor of political sociology who joined the University of Bristol in 2018, was dismissed for gross misconduct in October 2021 following public comments he made earlier that year about Zionism, Israel and Jewish student organisations.

His research focused on lobbying groups, including organisations linked to states such as Israel and South Africa. In its 2024 ruling, the employment tribunal had found that Miller had been dismissed because of comments express…