Summary - I need legal assistance to deal with my dismissal from work because of my support for the people of Gaza and Palestine in general.

I was employed by a UK subsidiary of Portfolio BI, a US based software development company, as a Senior Azure Cloud Solutions Engineer, from 22 August 2023 to 3 November 2023.

As a result of the onslaught in Gaza, which commenced following 07 October 2023, I posted comments on LinkedIn about the situation in Gaza, and the need for a ceasefire. Up until this point at work, I had no performance issues.

The Company sent a company-wide announcement on 13 October 2023 via MS Teams which showed one-sided solidarity with Israel. On the same date, a HR Personnel called me and informed me about my activities on LinkedIn, and stated that the, then, CEO’s (now former CEO) son was in the Israeli Defence Force (“IDF”). I was told that I should not show any affiliation with the Company and that she would continue to monitor my posts. I found this all to be very intimidating, however, I continued show solidarity with the innocent civilians of Gaza in my posts on LinkedIn.

Following this, I started to experience harassment and bullying which I raised with management, but nothing was done about it. Then without any notice, my employment was abruptly terminated with immediate effect on 03 November 2023 citing “performance” as the reason. I was not offered any opportunity to appeal against the dismissal. I also raised a grievance about this all on 21 January 2024, however the Company largely ignored it.

I presented a claim at the Employment Tribunal on 6 April 2024 for discrimination based on my race (Egyptian), and religion (Muslim) and/or belief (anti-Zionist). The Pre-Hearing was rescheduled to the 28th of Jan, 2025.

My Concerns and Wider Public Interest: I was targeted for showing support for the Palestinians, which I did as a Muslim and as an anti-Zionist but, before all, as a Human. It is clear that the Company, like the CEO and his son who is in the IDF, were in support of Israel and could not tolerate my beliefs.

There clearly is disparity in treatment. Those who express pro-Palestine views have found that their political opponents target their jobs - whereas those who support the killing of people in Gaza face no equivalent scrutiny or threat to their jobs.

The legitimate speech of those speaking about the violation of the rights of Palestinians should not be silenced, particularly when war crimes are being committed.

Costs? How much the whole process will eventually cost will depend on how long the matter takes to resolve and other factors. 

Donations will go directly from the donor to my lawyers - none of the money will come to me. 

If the money raised exceeds the needs for my case, I hope it will be used to support other professionals who find themselves in similar difficulties via their CrowdJustice campaign, as per their unused policy.

Any help or donations would be welcome and appreciated. Please feel free to forward this via your WhatsApp and email networks. 

I sincerely appreciate the good will people have shown and any help that people can give.