HWH ClipBoard: It’s a good day for animals worldwide. Vegans enter a Protected Class status in the United Kingdom. Let it spread worldwide. There exists today more discrimination and hatred toward vegans than ever before, and it’s only going to get worse if the world doesn’t act now to block that hatred from becoming systemic and endemic. Congratulations to Britain! You are the Best!! Tel Aviv didn’t do this for the animals, did they?
Big win for ‘ethical vegans’ in UK work tribunal
January 3, 2020
Jordi Casamitjana leaves an Employment Tribunal after it ruled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief and is therefore protected by law, outside the court in Norwich, England, Friday Jan. 3, 2020.
Casamitjana claims he was sacked by the League Against Cruel Sports after raising concerns that its pension fund was being invested into companies involved in animal testing. (Nick Ansell/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) — British workers who practice “ethical veganism” to protect animals secured a big win in an employment tribunal when a judge ruled Friday that they are entitled to legal protection from job discrimination.
The judge said that because ethical veganism is a philosophical belief, its adherents are covered by the U.K.’s anti-discrimination law, the 2010 Equality Act.
The ruling came in a claim brought by a man who said he was fired after raising questions about pension fund investments in companies that test products on animals.
Jordi Casamitjana, 55, alleged his dismissal from the League Against Cruel Sports, a British charity that works against animals being abused or killed for sport, resulted from his strong beliefs. The charity did not contest at the hearing whether ethical vegans deserved workplace protections.
Ethical vegans go beyond eating a plant-based diet to try to exclude any form of what they believe is animal exploitation, including not wearing wool or leather clothes.
Tribunal Judge Robin Postle ruled that ethical veganism met the legal criteria for being considered a protected belief under the same section of the Equality Act that prohibits religious discrimination.
Postle found the beliefs held by ethical vegans to be worthy of respect, compatible with human dignity and not conflicting with the rights of others.
“I am satisfied overwhelmingly that ethical veganism does constitute a philosophical belief,” he said.
Casamitjana said he hoped his case sets a precedent for other countries.
“This is a very important ruling for vegans everywhere in the world that will inspire other vegans in other countries that don’t have that protection to develop cases that will lead to that protection,” he said.
Casamitjana’s lawyer said that as a result of the ruling, sanctioning workers for ethical veganism will be prohibited in the same way it is illegal to discriminate against workers based on their race, gender, age or sexual orientation.
Source: Big win for ‘ethical vegans’ in UK work tribunal
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