Paul Weller sues his accountants for abandoning him after supporting Gaza
The British musician says he suffered discrimination from the company Harris & Trotter.
BarcelonaPaul Weller has sued his former accountants after they decided to end their professional relationship following the British musician's criticism of Israel over the genocide in Gaza. According to Sky News, the former frontman of The Jam and The Style Council has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Harris & Trotter, which informed him in March that it would no longer work for him. Weller claims that he received a WhatsApp message from one of the firm's partners saying: "It is well known what your political views are regarding Israel, the Palestinians, and Gaza. As a firm, we are offended by your assertion that Israel is committing genocide."
The message added: "Everyone has the right to express their opinion, but you are advocating such an anti-Israel view that we, as a firm with Jewish roots and full of Jewish partners, are not prepared to continue sharing a professional relationship." The artist responded by arguing that he has always spoken out "against injustice, be it apartheid, ethnic cleansing, or genocide" and defended that "what is happening to the people of Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe." Weller stressed that Palestinians "have the right to self-determination, dignity, and protection under international law" and insisted that "Israel is committing genocide, and that must be able to be said out loud, because silence is not only censorship, but also complicity."
In the letter Weller sent to the company's partners, the musician adds that he will donate the money he receives from this lawsuit to humanitarian aid in Gaza. "I am taking legal action not only for myself, but also to ensure that others are not similarly punished for expressing their views on the rights of the Palestinian people," the musician says. In fact, Weller has also organized a concert on October 17 in London's East End to raise money for Gaza. The artist participated a few days ago in the Palestine Action protest in London, which ended with more than 350 arrests by the Metropolitan Police.