Arsenal sued as ex-kit manager claims 'unfair dismissal' over anti-Israel comments

Arsenal are being sued by a former kit manager, who alleges unfair dismissal due to his views on Israel, amid the ongoing conflict in Palestine.

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• Bonnick worked at club from early 2000s
• Was sacked in 2024
• Arsenal made aware of social media posts

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , a former Arsenal kit man has begun legal proceedings against the club as he alleges unfair dismissal. Bonnick claims he was the victim of a "discriminatory" dismissal due to his "philosophical anti-Zionist belief". In December 2024, Arsenal suspended Bonnick and he was later sacked due to a series of posts made on social media relating to the ongoing conflict in Palestine, particularly Gaza, where Israel have continued military strikes since Hamas attacked a music festival on October 7.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bonnick insists that his posts were not anti-Semitic, and were instead motivated by a genuine belief in anti-Zionism. has published five replies on X that he has cited in his legal submission.

  Several read as follows: “Yes it is all about Jewish supremacy & not wanting to share the land Ethnic cleansing”; “Why should they be protected anymore than any other community? Some see this as the problem Jewish communities thinking they should be put before others”; “What about the Jews that attack Christians?” He also wrote: “Hamas offered to release all hostages in October. Zionist Israel refused. Persecution complex”.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT ELSE BONNICK SAID

  Speaking to the newspaper, Bonnick explained: “I want them to acknowledge what they’ve done to me is wrong and that they should not have sacked me. I believe in standing up for what’s right, especially when you see injustice, and I feel strongly against what Israel is doing in Gaza.

  “I’ve tweeted on various issues, including football, Brexit, racism, knife crime and politics. It only became a problem when I tweeted about Israel, which led to a pile-on online and people contacting the club.”

• WHAT DOES BONNICK WANT?

  The former kit-man claims that Arsenal did not directly accuse him of being anti-Semitic, but they noted his posts could be "perceived as inflammatory or offensive” and claimed that they had “brought the club into disrepute”. Bonnick wants reinstatement and damages.