By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-24 08:31:10 | Updated at 2025-03-26 04:37:59
1 day ago
A sewage worker was sacked after condemning Hamas as terrorists on his company's staff intranet.
Damon Joshua was dismissed by Severn Trent Water (STW) after describing Hamas as "a group of violent and disgusting terrorists" in a post marking the anniversary of the October 7 attack, according to The Telegraph.
In it, Joshua wrote: "One year ago our valued partners and friends, Israel, were horrifically attacked by a group of violent and disgusting terrorists."
He added that "the vast majority of STW's employees stand in solidarity with our Jewish, Israeli and Zionist colleagues against the evil of Islamist terror."
The post was taken down by managers following internal complaints that "the terminology being used includes very derogatory words" and "is very one-sided".
One complainant said: "The post reflects poorly on Severn Trent's reputation as a diverse and inclusive company."
Damon Joshua was sacked after describing Hamas as 'a group of violent and disgusting terrorists' (file photo)
REUTERS
Joshua said 'white-collar' Severn Trent employees 'looked down' on him as a maintenance engineer dealing with sewage
PA
However, sources at the company said Joshua's comments were part of a wider pattern of voicing political views - including company initiatives like South Asian heritage events, LGBT inclusion days and diversity and inclusion workshops.
A Severn Trent Water spokesman said: "This is a complex employee relations case and it's important to be clear that this is not the whole story nor an isolated incident."
The spokesman added it related to "ongoing misuse of an apolitical work forum".
Joshua was represented by the Free Speech Union in his case.
Dr Ben Jones, Director of Case Management at the FSU, said: "We've dealt with 3,500 cases - but the facts of Damon's are particularly shocking. Sacking somebody for condemning Hamas is one of the most egregious cases of cancel culture we've seen."
