Singer songwriter Paul Weller is taking legal action against his former accountants, for services discrimination after they terminated their professional relationship with him because he has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
The former front man of The Jam and the Style Council, had been a client of Leigh Genis of Harris and Trotter LLP for more than 30 years until he was informed by WhatsApp that the firm could no longer act for him because they were ‘offended’ by his publicly expressed views on the situation in Gaza.
Harris & Trotter LLP, which specialises in the provision of accountancy services for professionals in the music industry, stated in the message that, as the firm had ‘Jewish roots and many Jewish partners’ it was unwilling to continue to work with someone who held such views.
Mr Weller has instructed solicitors from Hodge Jones & Allen to take legal action against the accountants for discrimination against him over his ‘protected philosophical beliefs’ concerning the rights of the Palestinian people, under the Equality Act 2010.
He is represented by James Robottom, instructed by Cormac McDonough of Hodge Jones & Allen.
Read the full press release from Hodge Jones & Allen here.