Former Arsenal kit man alleges unfair dismissal
Mark Bonnick, the former Arsenal kit man dismissed on Christmas Eve 2024, broke down in tears during an interview, accusing the Premier League leaders of putting “profit before people,” reports BritPanorama.
Bonnick, a lifelong Arsenal supporter, has called for the club to apologise and reinstate him. He claims he was sacked not for misconduct, but for expressing grief and outrage over genocide.
The long-serving staff member, associated with the north London club since the early 2000s, is now pursuing legal action against Arsenal for unfair dismissal.
He alleges that his termination was discriminatory, asserting it stemmed from his “philosophical anti-Zionist belief” rather than any wrongdoing. His dismissal followed a series of social media posts that referred to “ethnic cleansing” and “Jewish supremacy” in relation to Israel.
Speaking to Raw Politik, Bonnick stated, “I just think Arsenal were basically profit before people.” His social media activity, which included claims of Israeli involvement in “ethnic cleansing,” led to complaints from a supporter group.
Arsenal received these complaints in December 2024, responding with a statement confirming they were “investigating this matter in line with our internal policies and procedures.” The club emphasized their stance against all forms of abuse and discrimination.
Having spent over two decades at the Emirates Stadium, Bonnick’s legal dispute with Arsenal is advancing towards mediation, scheduled for June.
Bonnick accused Arsenal of failing to uphold the principles they publicly espouse, saying, “Talk’s cheap. Words are cheap. It’s all about integrity.” He noted that corporate messaging often felt insincere during internal meetings.
When asked what message he would send to Arsenal’s leadership, he called for them to “revisit the case” and commission an independent review to determine “what did we do wrong” to prevent similar situations.
Drawing parallels with the case of Professor David Miller from Bristol University, Bonnick stated he was dismissed as merely “a thick kit man” during his appeal hearing. His legal representatives have suggested that he became a target of a “coordinated online smear campaign by pro-Israel Twitter accounts” before his dismissal for bringing the club into disrepute.
Although initially labelled a “neo-Nazi anti-Semite,” Bonnick maintains that both Arsenal and the Football Association eventually accepted his comments were not anti-Semitic, with the FA determining his remarks were “not to be inflammatory, not to be offensive, [but] to be political.”
As the situation unfolds, it highlights the intersection of personal beliefs, corporate responsibility, and public opinion in the realm of professional sports, a reminder of how easily reputations can become entwined with broader societal issues.
