UPDATE, January 6, 2020: On January 3, a judge in Norwich, England, ruled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief, meaning it gets the same legal protections as a religious belief. This means that under the 2010 Equality Act, vegans are a legitimate group that are protected against discrimination in the work place, similar to individuals of a certain race or pregnant people, for example.

According to the New York Times, this ruling did not decide if Jordi Casamitjana's firing was a form of discrimination because of his veganism, and a separate hearing in February is scheduled to address that aspect of the case.

Original post, January 2, 2020:

A court case in Norwich, England, could potentially give vegans the same legal protections as certain religious groups. Jordi Casamitjana is an "ethical vegan," which means he doesn't consume animal products of any form, meaning no food, fur, or other products tested on animals. Furthermore, he claims he was fired from his job because of his veganism.

Casamitjana worked for an animal welfare charity called League Against Cruel Sports, according to CNN. The outlet reported that Casamitjana claims he was let go because he told his colleagues that "their employer's pension fund was being invested in companies that experiment on animals."

Now in court, Casamitjana wants to prove that his veganism is a "philosophical or religious belief," and therefore a protected characteristic. A protected characteristic means that it is not lawful grounds for discrimination, similar to race, religion, and pregnancy.

Now Casamitjana's lawyers need to convince a court that veganism is a philosophical belief. In order to do so, they must prove that veganism is in line with the following criteria, provided by the BBC:

  • be genuinely held
  • be a belief as to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behavior
  • attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance
  • be worthy of respect in a democratic society, not be incompatible with human dignity and not conflict with the fundamental rights of others
  • be a belief, not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available.

Casamitjana's former employee maintains their stance that he was not let go because he told fellow employees about the pension investments, but instead because of gross misconduct surrounding a different incident. If Casamitjana is successful in proving that veganism is a legitimate philosophical belief and not just a lifestyle, this would be groundbreaking legal precedent for vegan rights.