Disability Charity Sacks Employee for Palestine Protest, Citing ‘Brand Reputation’

A prominent disability charity has fired an employee for protesting against the proscription of Palestine Action in order to protect its “brand reputation”.

Chloe – who declined to give her surname, citing concerns about future employment prospects – was dismissed for gross misconduct by the national disability charity Sense in late November. In a letter informing her of its decision, the charity said it needed to safeguard its “brand reputation” and ensure the charity could continue to “hold and be seen to hold a neutral position”.

Chloe, who volunteered for the charity before she started working for it in 2024, was arrested as part of one of the protests against the proscription of the non-violent direct action group Palestine Action that have taken place across the UK in recent months.

She neglected to immediately tell her employer of her arrest – a condition of her contract – as she feared losing her job. She was then hauled into a disciplinary hearing.

In the outcome of her hearing, Chloe was informed that her arrest could cause “serious reputational issues” if it were to show up on her DBS record. “Sense have a wide range of stakeholders including the wider public to consider when safeguarding the Sense brand reputation and hold and be seen to hold a neutral position,” the outcome notice said.

Chloe told Novara Media: “I was fired after holding a sign saying, ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’. I’m a Sikh – I’m compelled by my religion to take a stand against injustice. What is happening to the Palestinians is unjust. It’s the least I can do.

“I worked for a Sense service where we would take children with sensory disabilities on days out,” Chloe continued. “It meant a lot to me as I have a sensory disability myself. I felt alone growing up, and I would’ve loved to have been a part of the group as a child. It made up for it that I was able to join the group as an adult and help run it. I miss everyone.”

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) trade union, of which Chloe is a member, believes she is the first person to speak publicly after being fired for participating in these actions.

Tara Povey, a member of the IWGB charity workers’ branch, said: “Neutrality is not an option when we are witnessing a genocide backed and enabled by the UK government. It’s especially galling that a disability rights charity should sack a worker after protesting what has been called ‘a mass disabling event’.

“This dismissal shows that our rights as workers are inextricably linked to Palestinian workers and Palestinian liberation. Over the past two years charity bosses have ramped up their policing and silencing of workers – with racialised workers and migrant workers paying the highest cost. As a sector we need to show them that we won’t stand for this.

“We will back any of our members who get targeted after taking action to end UK complicity [with Israel’s actions in Gaza]. Chloe should be immediately reinstated with an official apology.”

Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has given many Palestinians disabilities and caused immense suffering for those already disabled, who have faced extreme difficulties in accessing healthcare and food, or following Israeli displacement orders.

In August, the UN noted that 4,800 amputations of limbs had been documented since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, with 76% of those affecting the upper limbs and 24% the lower limbs. Ibrahim Khraishi, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations Office at Geneva said that ten children were losing one or both legs every day. 

Gaza has become home to the largest group of child amputees in modern history, according to rights organisations, Khrasishi noted.

Palestine Action was proscribed in July after members of the group allegedly spray-painted military planes at RAF Brize Norton. The proscription has been widely condemned, including by human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Liberty, and the UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk. Last week, lawyers acting for the group told a judicial review that the group can be compared to the suffragettes.

Regular protests against its proscription have been held across the UK, with participants holding up signs identical to Chloe’s. Images of elderly people and priests being arrested at the protests have raised questions about the proportionality of the group’s proscription and its enforcement, particularly among those who simply express support for the group.

According to Home Office figures, more people have been arrested under terrorism legislation since June this year than during the entirety of the so-called war on terror since 2001.

Sense is a prominent disability charity which has received the patronage of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.

A Sense spokesperson said: “This matter is currently subject to an internal process, so we are unable to comment on the details. We handle all staffing matters in line with our policies and processes, with a clear focus on fairness, confidentiality, and the wellbeing of our staff and the people we support.”