London (CNN) An angry dispute between an animal welfare charity and its former employee will be the first case in Britain to decide whether ethical veganism is a "philosophical belief" that should be afforded the same protections as religion.

Jordi Casamitjana alleges he was fired this April by the League Against Cruel Sports after he "discovered that their pension fund was invested in companies involved in animal testing," he told CNN.

He informed his colleagues about it in spite of being "told [by the animal welfare group's management] not to communicate with staff about pensions," the 54-year-old said.

Casamitjana argued that his case is "combination of whistle blowing and discrimination" because "rather than punishment, I was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct."

"They could have given me a warning ... they might have thought I would not drop the case as an ethical vegan, so they may have thought it was better to get rid of me," he added.

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