Overview

• Simon Pearson was dismissed in February after posting in a private Facebook group that Lucy Connolly’s 31-month sentence exemplified “two-tier policing.”
• Preston College launched a disciplinary process after an NEU member flagged his comments, deeming them Islamophobic and sufficient to damage the college’s reputation.
• On August 3, Pearson filed an employment tribunal claim alleging unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and Christian discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
• Since losing his job, he says he has been rejected for hundreds of roles because employers balk at the Islamophobia label and now works outside teaching while awaiting the tribunal outcome.
• Backed by the Christian Legal Centre, his case has renewed debate over free speech limits, institutional discipline and the proportionality of hate-speech enforcement.