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Teacher Launches Tribunal Claim After Dismissal Over Criticism of Hate Speech Sentence

Simon Pearson contends Preston College’s probe led by a union complaint wrongly branded his criticism of a hate speech sentence as Islamophobic, violating his rights under the Equality Act.

File photo of a Facebook logo on a laptop, taken in 2018.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 27: People gather to protest against discrimination, racism and Islamophobia as they march from Russel Square to Whitehall Street, which connects to Downing Street where the Prime Minister's Office Number 10 is located, in London, United Kingdom on July 27, 2024. Protesters chanted slogans. (Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Preston College sacked Simon Pearson after an internal investigation found his Facebook posts criticising Lucy Connolly’s sentence could bring the college into disrepute.
  • The probe was triggered by a formal complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union who accused his remarks of being Islamophobic and racially discriminatory.
  • Pearson had described Connolly’s 31-month term for inciting racial hatred as an example of “two-tier justice” while condemning her comments as “obviously wrong.”
  • Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, he filed an Employment Tribunal claim alleging wrongful and unfair dismissal, along with harassment and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
  • The dispute has reignited debates over workplace free speech limits, the enforcement of hate speech rules and how institutions define Islamophobia.