In Depth:  discrimination

Nicola Laver

The social media behaviour of an anti-Christian atheist lay member of the employment tribunal has, for the second time in a matter of months, caused protracted litigation in two cases involving the dismissal of Christians. Another lay member has also been removed from a panel for apparent bias.

In early March, Bernard Randall won permission to appeal a 2022 employment tribunal decision upholding his dismissal from Trent College following a sermon on accepted church teachings on sexuality. He was granted permission after it was revealed that Jed Purkis, a member of the tribunal panel that heard Bernard’s case, had posted several anti-Christian comments on social media before and after the tribunal ruling.

Nicola Laver

A Christian school pastoral worker has lost her claim for unfair dismissal after losing her job at a London Catholic school.

She had posted in support of Biblical marriage on her personal social media accounts. Gozen Soydag, 37, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), says she is ‘devasted and confused’ by the decision and will appeal.

Nicola Laver

An employment tribunal panel member has been formally rebuked for making anti-Christian comments on social media which amounted to misconduct.

A ruling by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office noted that Jed Purkis, a non-lawyer and self-confessed socialist, had been hearing a ‘politically sensitive’ unfair dismissal case involving a teacher (‘Hannah’) and her Christian beliefs.

A survey of 1,562 Christians says believers in the UK feel under attack.

The report, published by campaigning organisation Voice for Justice UK, states: ‘Christians do not feel free to say what they think... A lack of freedom of expression is experienced generally, not just in the workplace.

Nicola Laver

Christians in the UK have been urged to give their views and experiences on how free they feel to express and practice their faith today.

An online questionnaire has been published by Voice for Justice UK (VfJUK) to examine freedom of expression and practice of Christian beliefs in the UK, ahead of an Inquiry it will launch this month (September).

Nicola Laver

A Christian parent has been reinstated as an elected school governor by the High Court, after being sacked and ostracized for complaining about the primary school’s RSE lesson plans and policy. Under the lesson plans, children would be encouraged to discuss issues around gender ideology.

Both the governing body - and local authority appeal panel which upheld its decision - accepted that the removal of the parent as governor in 2021 was unlawful. The effect of the court order is that the governor’s reinstatement is retrospective from the date of her removal. Her name has been withheld for legal reasons.

Nicola Laver

Dr David Mackereth, 60, had been a practising doctor for 26 years, until he lost his job with the DWP. He told the DWP in a training session that in good conscience as a Bible-believing Christian he could not identify clients by their chosen ‘gender identity’ instead of their biological sex. In response, the DWP declared this would amount to ‘harassment’ under the Equality Act 2010 and dismissed Dr Mackereth from his role as a Health and Disability Assessor.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Mackereth launched a legal claim for discrimination on the grounds of his Christian and philosophical beliefs.

Nicola Laver

Dave McConnell, a street preacher arrested in June 2021 after ‘misgendering’ a biological male, has had his conviction quashed. McConnell was reported to Prevent as a potential terrorist after being sentenced for a public order offence.

There is no legal requirement in the UK to use a person’s ‘preferred pronouns’, but McConnell – who has been street preaching for 15 years – was convicted for ‘insulting’ words and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service and pay £620.

West Yorkshire Police has agreed to pay Huddersfield street preacher David McConnell (see photo) £3,250 in damages for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and breach of human rights.

McConnell was preaching in 2019 when he faced hostile questions about abortion and sexuality, issues he had not been preaching about. Complaints were made and he was arrested without being informed as to what offence he was suspected of committing. In a case backed by the Christian Institute, the police force admitted liability.