Paul Weller sues accountancy firm for cutting ties with him over ‘genocide’ comments
Harris and Trotter reportedly told the rock star that 'we as a firm with Jewish roots and many Jewish partners are not prepared to work with someone who holds these views'
The musician Paul Weller is suing his former accountants for discrimination, after they cut ties with him in the wake of his claim that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
The accountancy firm Harris and Trotter reportedly informed the former guitarist and singer songwriter for rock band The Jam that they would be ending their working relationship of 30 years after his comments.
According to a legal letter from Weller seen by the PA news agency, it was alleged that the artist had been sent a whatsapp message by a senior artist at the firm which included the sentences: “It’s well known what your political views are in relation to Israel, the Palestinians and Gaza, but we as a firm are offended at the assertions that Israel is committing any type of genocide.
“Everyone is entitled to their own views, but you are alleging such anti-Israel views that we as a firm with Jewish roots and many Jewish partners are not prepared to work with someone who holds these views.”
Weller’s lawyers claim that Harris and Trotter have unlawfully discriminated against the singer’s protected philosophical beliefs.
Weller said: “I’ve always spoken out against injustice, whether it’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. What’s happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe.
“I believe they have the right to self-determination, dignity, and protection under international law, and I believe Israel is committing genocide against them. That must be called out.
“Silencing those who speak this truth is not just censorship – it’s complicity.
“I’m taking legal action not just for myself, but to help ensure that others are not similarly punished for expressing their beliefs about the rights of the Palestinian people.”
Recent Instagram posts shared by Weller’s wife Hannah, captured by the “GnasherJew” Twitter account, include one which says “F*** Israel” along with the words “All Day. Every Day. Until it does not exist anymore”. Another featured comments by Caitlin Johnston, a Pro-Russia blogger, claiming that “Israel has done more to promote hatred towards Jews in the last year and a half than Stormfront [a Neo-Nazi website] has in its entire existence”. A third featured a Nazi stormtrooper wearing Star-of-David insignia blocking food aid trucks to Gaza, saying “who needs gas chambers anyway”.
Harris and Trotter’s e-mail footer includes the words: “we stand against terrorism in all forms. We call for the immediate release of innocent Israeli hostages being held in Gaza and our heart goes out to all the innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives that have been lost as a result of the conflict. We pray for peace and for humanity.”
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