Employment tribunal begins for academic sacked over Israel comments

An academic facing criticism over his comments about Israel said attempts have been made to “confuse anti-Zionism with antisemitism” as an employment tribunal began over his sacking.

Professor David Miller received criticism for views he allegedly expressed while working at the University of Bristol.

The professor of political sociology was sacked by the institution in October 2021 after a disciplinary hearing found he “did not meet the standards of behaviour” expected by university staff.

Prof Miller launched employment tribunal proceedings claiming unfair dismissal, breach of contract and discrimination or victimisation on grounds of religion or belief.

Supporters of Prof Miller have previously complained his dismissal amounted to “an attack on academic freedom”.

The tribunal could become a test case as the academic attempts to argue his anti-Zionist stance is a protected philosophical belief, his lawyers said.

As the tribunal hearing began in Bristol on Monday, Prof Miller insisted anti-Zionism was not the same as antisemitism, and was not a “racist set of ideas”.

Prof Miller told the tribunal he had been “anti-racist” since he was a teenager.

He added that it was impossible for a Zionist state such as Israel to be non-racist, and described Gaza as an “open air prison”.

Previously employed as professor of sociology at the universities of Bath and Strathclyde, Prof Miller told the tribunal the University of Bristol was aware of his views on Zionism and Israel before hiring him.

Prof Miller drew controversy during a lecture at the university in 2019, when he said the Zionist movement was one of five pillars driving Islamophobia in the UK, the tribunal heard.

The University of Bristol subsequently received a complaint from the Community Security Trust charity, which said his lecture was a “false, vile… antisemitic slur”.

During an investigation, it was heard that the university lecturer’s behaviour had led to Jewish students “being subjected to weeks of harassment and abuse”.

But a report into academic freedom of expression concluded that Prof Miller’s comments “did not constitute unlawful speech”.

Speaking shortly after his dismissal, Prof Miller said the university had “embarrassed itself” by “capitulating to a pressure campaign… overseen and directed by a hostile foreign government”.

Asked about the backlash towards some of his critics, Prof Miller admitted that some of the language used had been antisemitic.

Questioned on why he had been suspended from the Labour Party, Prof Miller said he had been investigated over a retweet, but denied it had anything to do with alleged antisemitism.

The employment tribunal continues.