The University of Bristol has lost its appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that found that anti-Israel views expressed by a sociologist should have been seen as “philosophical beliefs” protected under the Equality Act.
Bristol has mostly failed in its attempt to overturn a ruling from two years ago that it had “acted unreasonably” in its response to David Miller’s anti-Zionist “conduct”, which brought to an end his three-year-stint as a professor at the institution.
In a statement the university said it was “disappointed” with the decision while Miller hailed it as a victory for “the entire anti-Zionist movement”.
Miller, a professor of political sociology whose work focuses on issues relating to Islamophobia, had given a lecture in 2019 calling the Zionist movement one of five pillars driving Islamophobia in the UK.
After a complaint was made to Bristol by Jewish charity the Community Security Trust, and further complaints from students, an investigation was launched – initially finding Miller had no case to answer.
