Il veganism it is equivalent to a philosophy and as such is protected by law. A British labor court today issued this historic ruling on the appeal of a vegan who felt discriminated against by their company and finally fired because of his beliefs. Judge Robin Postle ruled that "ethical veganism" is entitled to legal protection similar to that of "A philosophical creed or a religion", thus falling within the scope of the rights guaranteed by the Equality Act, a 2010 law on equal treatment. The other categories are age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, motherhood, disability and marriage.
The case was brought before the Norwich court by Jordi Casamitjana, 55, an employee of the League Against Cruel Sports, an association for the defense of animal rights. The man discovered that his company invests part of the pension fund in a company that does animal experiments. He pointed out that this was in contradiction with the spirit of the firm itself, but they didn't listen to him. He then started informing his colleagues and at this point he was fired. “I am very happy for this verdict”, Casamitjana comments, “I hope it has positive consequences for all vegans”. League Against Cruel Sports did not oppose the ruling, to be followed by another on the legality of the dismissal.
The company claims that the employee lost his job because of "inappropriate behavior" and not because of his vegan choice. Casamitjana defines himself as an "ethical vegan", that is, he does not limit himself to eating a diet exclusively derived from plants but observes vegan principles in every manifestation of existence. He does not wear clothing made of wool, leather or other materials made from animals. And he moves on foot so as not to take the bus, as a vehicle risks crushing insects, birds or other animals under the wheels. While not having the value of a legal precedent because issued by a labor court, the ruling could have far-reaching consequences.
"It would be surprising", comments the BBC, "if someone did not sue their company claiming to be discriminated against because of their beliefs about climate change, for example because refuses to travel for work by car preferring to use a less polluting alternative such as the train "(Arch Hunting).