An animal rights campaigner will argue that veganism is a “philosophical belief” equal to a religion in a landmark legal case against the charity he used to work for.
Jordi Casamitjana was sacked by the League Against Cruel Sports after alleging to colleagues that money from the pension fund was being invested in pharmaceutical and tobacco firms “known to engage in animal testing”.
Mr Casamitjana, an “ethical” vegan, claims his belief system was part of the reason why he was fired.
The animal welfare charity argues their former head of policy’s dismissal had nothing to do with his veganism.
“Mr Casamitjana was dismissed from his position because of gross misconduct,” a spokesman said. “To link his dismissal with issues pertaining to veganism is factually wrong.”
An employment tribunal will have to decide whether veganism is covered as a “religion or belief”, rather than just an opinion, under the Equality Act 2010, in the UK’s first case of its kind.
Peter Daly from law firm Bindmans, which is representing Mr Casamitjana, said: “If we are successful, we will achieve a judgment which formally recognises the protected status of ethical veganism.”
Mr Casamitjana told the BBC: “For me veganism is a belief and affects every single aspect of my life. Some people only eat a vegan diet but they don’t care about the environment or the animals … I care about the animals and the environment and my health.”
The case will be heard before an employment tribunal judge in March.
