At a tribunal at the beginning of this year, a judge ruled ethical Veganism satisfies the tests required and therefore is protected under the Equality Act 2010, like a religion.
GEORGIA SIMCOX: Vegan crimes are rising in Britain as more people choose to follow Veganism, prompting calls for the attacks to be given a special status… 172 crimes relating to Veganism happened over the past five years, with just nine in 2015 rising to 55 last year… Last year, 1.16 per cent of the population, 600,000 people, were vegan according to surveys by Ipsos Mori. It quadrupled from 150,000 in 2014…
It comes after vegan Jordi Casamitjana won a landmark case after his lawyers argued that ethical Veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical or religious belief. At a tribunal in Norwich at the beginning of this year, judge Robin Postle ruled ethical Veganism satisfies the tests required and therefore is protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Mr Casamitjana, 55, claimed he was dismissed from his job at the League Against Cruel Sports after raising concerns that its pension fund was being invested into companies involved in animal testing. He claimed he was unfairly disciplined for making this disclosure and that the decision to dismiss him was because of his philosophical belief in ethical Veganism…
Dietary vegans and ethical vegans both eat a plant-based diet, avoiding meat and other foods derived from animals such as dairy products. However ethical vegans also try to exclude all forms of animal exploitation outside what they eat. This includes not wearing clothing made of wool or leather and not using products tested on animals… This case could be used as a ‘precedent’ for vegans to argue their beliefs should be protected….
The Crown Prosecution Service defines a hate crime as being motivated by hostility or demonstrating hostility towards a person’s ‘protected characteristics’… such as religion. It adds that a hate crime can take the form of verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, harassment, assault, bullying and damage to property. SOURCE…
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