Paul Weller sues accountant firm for 'discriminating against him' after it stopped working with him 'for saying Israel is committing genocide in Gaza'
The Jam frontman, 67, filed the discrimination suit against Harris and Trotter after the business cut ties with him after 30 years in March, according to a pre-action letter.
A WhatsApp message from a partner at the firm said the musician's political beliefs regarding Israel, Palestine, and Gaza were 'well known', but the firm was 'offended at the assertions that Israel is committing any type of genocide', the letter claims.
While the partner acknowledged that 'everyone is entitled to their own views', they claimed the musician was 'alleging such anti-Israel views' that the firm 'with Jewish roots and many Jewish partners' could no longer work with Mr Weller.
Lawyers representing the musician alleged by ending their services, the accountants discriminated against the singer's protected philosophical beliefs including that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and Palestine should be recognised as a nation state.
'I've always spoken out against injustice, whether it's apartheid, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. What's happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe,' Weller said.
'I believe they have the right to self-determination, dignity, and protection under international law, and I believe Israel is committing genocide against them. That must be called out.
'Silencing those who speak this truth is not just censorship - it's complicity.
'I'm taking legal action not just for myself, but to help ensure that others are not similarly punished for expressing their beliefs about the rights of the Palestinian people.'
Weller has vowed to donate any damages he receives to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza, according to the legal letter.
Cormac McDonough, a lawyer at Hodge Jones and Allen, representing Weller, said his case 'reflects a wider pattern of attempts to silence artists and public figures who speak out in support of Palestinian rights'.
Mr McDonough added: 'Within the music industry especially, we are seeing increasing efforts to marginalise those who express solidarity with the people of Gaza.'
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