Jordi Casamitjana claims he was sacked for his vegan beliefs (Kickstarter)

Earlier this week, a vegan launched an unfair dismissal case against his employer, claiming to have been fired for his beliefs.

Jordon Casamitjana says he was dismissed by animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports after he raised concerns about its pension fund being invested in companies that tested on animals.

The case – due to be settled in the spring – has thrown up one big question: should veganism have the same protections as a religion?

To formally do someone for discrimination, you’ve got be able to prove that they’re marking you out for a natural born trait or characteristic beyond your control (race, gender, sexual preference, disability) or philosophical belief.




This case hangs on the latter.

According to the 2010 Equality Act, religion or belief is one of nine protected characteristics.

To be classed as such, you have to show that:

A belief is genuinely held

It has a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour

Attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance

Be worthy of respect in a democratic society, not be incompatible with human dignity and not conflict with the fundamental rights of other

Be a belief, not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available

But should veganism be recognised as a philosophical belief? Is it a kind of quasi-religion?

Religion may need the presence of a higher being to be in place, but a belief doesn’t. Look at humanism or atheism. Neither rely on a supernatural power. You can have an atheist or humanist wedding. Both are beliefs that can dominate someone’s life and influence their daily activities. Hell, Richard Dawkins has made atheism his life’s work.

Would we be outraged if an atheist for example, got fired for questioning an office’s Christmas celebrations on the grounds that it was all founded on nonsense? Probably – a Scrooge they may be, but that doesn’t mean they should be sacked. Atheists and humanists face ‘systematic discrimination’ in the UK, according to a 2014 report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

‘Schools are typically allowed to discriminate against students in their admission policies, favouring those of the faith over those of other faiths and of no faith, or even favouring those of other faiths over those of no faith,’ it said.

While there don’t seem to have been any cases of people actually being fired over their non-religious beliefs here, Citizens Advice says: ‘You are protected by law from discrimination because of your religion or belief if you have a profound belief which affects your way of life or view of the world. This includes religious and philosophical beliefs, or a lack of belief, such as Atheism’.

If you compare veganism to humanism, for example, they’re not vastly different entities. Both offer alternative weddings. Both preach compassion. Both are sort of fringe movements which are growing as people turn against traditional belief systems and lifestyles.

According to Hayley Trovato, a senior associate at law firm OGR Stock Denton, Jordon may well have a case.

According to the Law Gazette, she’s been looking back to the 2010 case of Grainger plc v Nicholson, ‘in which philosophical belief was defined as having to be a genuinely held belief and not just an opinion.



‘Although the above criteria do have the potential to be very widely construed…a person who rejects the consumption of animals in all forms out of an ethical commitment through veganism could, realistically, be considered to hold a belief covered by the act.’

While I’m probably not at the stage of nailing myself to a cross in the name of plant-based living, it’s fair to say that some people’s veganism really is guiding life of their lives.

It influences their dietary choices, their skincare, laundry and cleaning product choices. It decides where they travel on holiday, who they date and procreate with. In some cases, it’ll decide what medications they’re willing to take.

That certainly sounds like a philosophical belief system, doesn’t it?

In this ever cynical, miserable world, it’s no wonder that more and more of us are fueling our energies towards something which preaches love and kindness to all.

Some of us would argue that treating animals as equals is, in its own way, both anti-capitalist and intersectionally feminist. Vegans object to female cows, goats and sheep being inseminated and milked against their will. For many vegans, a female farm animal should have the same respect as a woman.

Not everyone can afford meat but the vast majority can afford vegetables and bread; the ultra-high-end veganism of Whole Foods and yoga retreats have little-if-nothing to do with the cause at all.

Who knows if Jordon really was the victim of discrimination or not, but his case does throw up an interesting development in the acceptance of veganism as a very serious and passionate part of many of our lives.


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