Above photo: Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium. Little Savage via Wikimedia Commons.
“All I did was express grief, anger, and sorrow over the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. For that, Arsenal fired me,” says long-serving equipment manager Mark Bonnick.
Arsenal Football Club is facing legal action after sacking long-serving kit-man Mark Bonnick after he expressed solidarity with Palestine on social media.
With assistance from the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC), 61-year-old Bonnick has filed a legal claim for unfair dismissal. A lifelong Arsenal supporter, he had officially worked at the club for 12 years, and an additional 10 years as a contractor, amounting to 22 years of service, before being abruptly sacked on Christmas Eve 2024.
His dismissal followed a coordinated online smear campaign by pro-Israel Twitter accounts that accused him of antisemitism for posts opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Mark’s dismissal is part of a wider crackdown on lawful political expression and a disturbing pattern of political purges in the workplace.
Western mainstream media unanimously described the investigation into his social media posts as driven by fears of antisemitism. However, following an internal investigation, Arsenal admitted, in the outcome of appeal document, seen exclusively by Mondoweiss, that the club “has never said that your posts were antisemitic” and that it was not something they were asked to reach a view on.
But they doubled down on the claim that the posts brought the club “into disrepute.”
He was therefore suspended with the official letter noting that the club “understand individuals will have differing views on topics such as this” but the posts have been “associated with the Club in a very public and damaging way, for the disrepute that this has caused.”
The tweets in question included Mr. Bonnick using terms such as “Jewish supremacy” and “ethnic cleansing” during an online discussion about Israel’s brutality in Gaza. In a disciplinary meeting, club officials alleged that these posts “could be perceived as inflammatory or offensive.”
However, the language Bonnick used mirrors terminology widely adopted by the global human rights community in reference to Israeli policies. In 2021, the prominent Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem concluded in a landmark report that Israel operates an apartheid regime designed to maintain a system of Jewish supremacy over Palestinians.
In November 2024, Human Rights Watch established that Israel’s policy of deliberate and systematic displacement of Palestinians in Gaza amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Separate posts by Mr Bonnick repeatedly made the point that Israel frequently rejected the opportunity to return all the hostages, including a reply in one specific post, saying “Because you didn’t scream when Zionist Israel refused their release Hamas refused to release all hostages in October… you abandoned them … Refused to bring them home…”
As reported in November 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected opportunities to secure the release of hostages. More recently, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated bluntly that hostages are “not the most important thing” for the government.
Bonnick’s legal team argues that his firing was politically motivated, setting a dangerous precedent of censorship and punishment for those who express solidarity with Palestinians.
In a press release Tasnima Uddin, Advocacy Officer at the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC), stated: “Arsenal didn’t sack Mark for misconduct or antisemitism — they sacked him for standing with Palestine. This is political censorship, part of a wider crackdown on those speaking out against genocide. While Palestinian athletes are being killed and stadiums destroyed, football clubs like Arsenal are punishing staff for opposing apartheid. You can’t claim neutrality while silencing dissent.”
Uddin also warned of the broader implications for workers beyond football: “This sets a dangerous precedent. The chilling effect on employees across sectors is real. We must defend our right to speak up — and push back against anti-Palestinian repression.”
Mark Bonnick remains resolute in his support for Palestine, in a statement released by ELSC:
“Israel is an apartheid state. We stood against apartheid in South Africa — we should stand against it in Israel too. All I did was express grief, anger, and sorrow over the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. For that, Arsenal fired me. That sends a chilling and dangerous message.
Even after losing my job so close to retirement, I would still urge others: speak out. We owe it to Palestinians — and to ourselves as human beings — to oppose racism, colonialism, and genocide. The outpouring of love and solidarity I’ve received has been overwhelming. I have no regrets.
What hurts most is that Arsenal — a club I’ve loved, served, and supported — chose silence in the face of horror. Why won’t they speak out now? Why is solidarity only acceptable when it’s safe or convenient?
I call on the club to do what’s right: apologise, reinstate me, and take a clear stand against anti-Palestinian racism.”
Importantly, this is not the first time that Arsenal has been under the spotlight, particularly regarding Palestine and Israel. The club came under pressure in March 2024 when there was a rally in support of Palestine outside its stadium, which was followed by claims of Jewish fans feeling unsafe.
There also appears to be a selective approach to policing and disciplining individuals associated with the club, particularly concerning their social media activity, with punitive measures seemingly applied only to one side.
For instance, Arsenal’s Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko publicly expressed unequivocal support for Israel on October 8, 2023, posting an image with the words “I stand with Israel” emblazoned on a Star of David. Although the post was later deleted, the club took no disciplinary action against him.
Likewise, when the club issued an official statement on October 13, 2023—at a time when Israel had begun its intense bombardment of Gaza, accompanied by openly genocidal rhetoric from Israeli officials—fans, particularly in the Middle East, noted the stark difference in the tone and emotional language used.
The statement referred to Hamas’s incursion on October 7 as an “attack” whilst describing Israel’s brutal retaliation in Gaza as an “unfolding human tragedy.”
While the UK continues to arm Israel and FIFA refuses to ban it—despite global calls from football fans—workers like Bonnick are punished for speaking out against Israel’s systematic mass slaughter. Human Rights Watch recently concluded that Israel’s actions include countless acts amounting to war crimes, crimes against humanity, including extermination, and genocide. Meanwhile, at least 350 Palestinian footballers in Gaza have been killed by Israel, stadiums are routinely destroyed, and entire teams are wiped out in Gaza. Yet major English clubs like Arsenal are punishing staff for having the temerity to speak out.
This is part of a growing and disturbing pattern across European football: from Anwar El Ghazi in Germany to Salma Mashhour at Dagenham & Redbridge. Palestinian solidarity appears to be a red line that football clubs are actively suppressing, rather than defending basic freedoms.
Fans associated with the club have also called on Arsenal to reinstate Mr Bonnick. Gooners for a Liberated Palestine issued a statement to Mondoweiss expressing full solidarity with the former kitman and condemning what they described as the broader suppression of fan support for the Palestinian struggle.
The Arsenal Lebanon Supporters Club echoed this stance in a statement seen by Mondoweiss, aligning itself with Gooners for a Liberated Palestine. While reaffirming their firm opposition to antisemitism, they emphasised that “criticising the murder of children is not antisemitic” — noting that the club itself had acknowledged none of Bonnick’s statements were antisemitic.
In June 2023, Arsenal proudly joined a scheme it described as an “inclusive approach” to player development — one that provides “meaningful opportunities for participants to learn about important topics and develop as people.” The Duty to Care Hub focused on six pillars: Diversity, Inclusion, Mental Health and Well-being, Physical Well-being, Safeguarding, and Safe to Practice. All bases seemingly covered — except, perhaps, Palestine.
Speaking to Mondoweiss, Franck Magennis, Garden Court Barrister representing Bonnick: “It is an honor and a privilege to represent Mark Bonnick in holding Arsenal FC accountable for their atrocious treatment of him. He acted with courage and integrity by criticizing Israeli apartheid, and the racist ideology of Zionism that animates it. Arsenal have set a chilling precedent, implying that people who criticize this ongoing Zionist genocide risk being unfairly dismissed. Justice must be done, and I urge everyone to support Mark in his important campaign.”