Jeremy Sleath, an atheist who compared lockdown restrictions to a “Muslim alcohol-free caliphate”, argued that his opinion was equivalent to a religious beliefA train conductor who was sacked after posting on social media that he did not want to live in a “Muslim alcohol-free caliphate” is protected by equality law, a judge has ruled. Jeremy Sleath, 63, who describes himself as a “secular atheist”, is entitled to argue that his opinion was equivalent to a religious belief, a judge said. SponsoredThe ruling came at a preliminary assessment of Sleath’s dismissal from his longstanding role as a train conductor, after he took to Facebook in celebration of pubs reopening in England after the coronavirus lockdown. At the hearing Sleath, from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, claimed that his dismissal for gross misconduct was the result of discrimination on the grounds of his firmly held convictions. He is also bringing a

Source: The Times August 03, 2021 16:01 UTC