{"id":7365,"date":"2025-05-16T15:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T13:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/?p=7365"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:55:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T13:55:50","slug":"arsenal-f-c-sued-by-former-kitman-after-being-dismissed-for-speaking-out-on-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/arsenal-f-c-sued-by-former-kitman-after-being-dismissed-for-speaking-out-on-palestine\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal F.C. Sued by Former Kitman After Being Dismissed for Speaking Out on Palestine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has--font-size\"><strong>London, 16 May 2025 <\/strong>\u2014 Arsenal Football Club faces legal action after dismissing long-serving kitman Mark Bonnick for expressing solidarity with Palestine on social media.&nbsp;<br>With legal representation from the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC), 61-year-old Bonnick has filed a legal claim for unfair dismissal. A lifelong Arsenal supporter, Mark worked officially at the club for 12 years and was self-employed for 10 years prior, serving the club for over two decades before being fired abruptly on Christmas Eve 2024.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\">His dismissal followed a coordinated online smear campaign by pro-Israel Twitter accounts falsely accusing him of antisemitism for posts opposing Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza. In the appeal decision dated 14 February 2025, Arsenal conceded:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\"><em>\u201cThe club has never said that your posts were antisemitic. [The dismissal decision-maker] made no finding on that and nor do I.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Despite this, the club upheld the decision to dismiss him on the grounds that he brought the club \u201cinto disrepute.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\">Bonnick\u2019s legal team argues that Arsenal uncritically accepted the prejudiced, Zionist, and racist views of those who targeted him online, prioritising perceived PR risk over the right to political expression. This, they argue, sets a dangerous precedent \u2014 punishing workers for voicing support for Palestinian rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\">As the UK continues to supply arms to Israel and FIFA refuses to sanction Israel despite widespread calls, workers like Mark are being punished for speaking out. Palestinian athletes are being bombed, stadiums are being destroyed, and entire teams are being lost. Meanwhile, English clubs like Arsenal silence their staff. This case joins a growing list of football-related crackdowns, from Anwar El Ghazi in Germany to Salma Mashhour at Dagenham &amp; Redbridge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\">Support for Mark is growing rapidly from Arsenal fan groups, campaigners, and human rights organisations. They are calling for:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A public apology from Arsenal&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bonnick\u2019s reinstatement&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An end to Arsenal\u2019s complicity in censorship of Palestine solidarity&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anti-racism training for all club staff &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has--font-size\"><strong>Comments <\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>Tasnima Uddin, Advocacy Officer at the ELSC, said:<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<br>\u201cArsenal didn\u2019t sack Mark for misconduct or antisemitism, they sacked him for standing with Palestine. This is political censorship and part of a wider crackdown on those speaking out against genocide. As Palestinian athletes are killed and stadiums destroyed, football clubs like Arsenal choose to punish staff for opposing apartheid. You can\u2019t claim neutrality while silencing dissent.&nbsp;<br>Mark\u2019s case is not isolated. Workers across sectors are being targeted for showing solidarity with Palestine. We must defend our right to speak up \u2014 and push back against anti-Palestinian repression.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>Mark Bonnick said:<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<br>\u201cIsrael is an apartheid state. We opposed South African apartheid, so we should oppose Israeli apartheid too. All I did was express sadness, grief, and anger about Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza. Arsenal fired me for raising my voice, and that sends a dangerous message. &nbsp;<br>Despite losing my job this close to retirement, I would still encourage other people to speak out. We owe it to Palestinians, and to ourselves as human beings, to oppose racism, colonialism, and genocide. I\u2019ve been overwhelmed by the love and support I\u2019ve received since deciding to stand up for my values and for Palestinians. I regret nothing.&nbsp;<br>It\u2019s devastating to see that Arsenal \u2013 a club I\u2019ve loved and worked for \u2013 have chosen silence in the face of such horror. Why won\u2019t they speak up now? Why is solidarity only allowed when it\u2019s safe and convenient? I\u2019m calling on the club to do the right thing: apologise, reinstate me, and take a stand against anti-Palestinian racism.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>Franck Magennis, Garden Court Barrister representing Bonnick, said:<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<br>&#8220;It is an honour and a privilege to represent Mark Bonnick in holding Arsenal FC accountable for their atrocious treatment of him. He acted with courage and integrity by criticising Israeli apartheid, and the racist ideology of Zionism that animates it. Arsenal have set a chilling precedent, implying that people who criticise this ongoing Zionist genocide risk being unfairly dismissed. Justice must be done, and I urge everyone to support Mark in his important campaign.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal FC faces legal action for firing long-serving kitman Mark Bonnick over pro-Palestine posts. With support from the ELSC, Bonnick challenges his dismissal, highlighting football\u2019s complicity in censorship and growing repression of Palestine solidarity.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":7366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[112,48,111],"test-2":[],"country":[152],"blog_categories":[],"class_list":["post-7365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release","tag-anti-palestinian-racism","tag-freedom-of-expression","tag-freedom-of-assembly","country-gb"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":55,"label":"Press Release"}],"post_tag":[{"value":112,"label":"Anti-Palestinian Racism"},{"value":48,"label":"Free Speech"},{"value":111,"label":"Freedom of Assembly"}],"country":[{"value":152,"label":"Britain"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/elsc.support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ARSENAL-F.C.-SUED-BY-FORMER-KITMAN-AFTER-BEING-DISMISSED-FOR-SPEAKING-OUT-ON-PALESTINE--1024x538.png",1024,538,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Bashar","author_link":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/author\/bashar\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":55,"name":"Press Release","slug":"press-release","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":55,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Official updates shared with media or public.","parent":0,"count":77,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":55,"category_count":77,"category_description":"Official updates shared with media or public.","cat_name":"Press Release","category_nicename":"press-release","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":112,"name":"Anti-Palestinian Racism","slug":"anti-palestinian-racism","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":112,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Discrimination against Palestinians","parent":0,"count":61,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":48,"name":"Free Speech","slug":"freedom-of-expression","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":48,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Relates to censorship and academic freedom","parent":0,"count":89,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":111,"name":"Freedom of Assembly","slug":"freedom-of-assembly","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":111,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":45,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7365"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7370,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365\/revisions\/7370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"test-2","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/test-2?post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"blog_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elsc.support\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_categories?post=7365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}