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”.
As lifelong Arsenal supporter, Bonnick has demanded the club apologise and reinstate him.
He said: “I was sacked not for misconduct, but for expressing grief and outrage over genocide.”
The long-serving staff member, who had been with the north London club since the early 2000s, is now pursuing legal action against Arsenal for unfair dismissal.
Bonnick alleges his termination was discriminatory, claiming it stemmed from his “philosophical anti-Zionist belief” rather than any genuine misconduct.
His departure followed a series of social media posts that made references to “ethnic cleansing” and “Jewish supremacy” in relation to Israel.
Speaking to Raw Politik, Bonnick said: “I just think Arsenal were basically profit before people.”
The social media activity that led to Bonnick’s dismissal included posts claiming Israel was guilty of “ethnic cleansing,” which prompted complaints from one of the club’s supporter groups.
Mark Bonnick was dismissed on Christmas Eve 2024
|
GETTY
Arsenal received these complaints in December 2024 and responded with a statement confirming they were “investigating this matter in line with our internal policies and procedures.”
The club added: “Arsenal stands against all forms of abuse and discrimination.”
Bonnick had spent more than two decades working at the Emirates Stadium before his sudden termination just before Christmas.
His legal dispute with the club is now progressing towards mediation, which he confirmed is scheduled for June.
Bonnick had spent more than two decades working at the Emirates Stadium before his sudden termination just before Christmas
|
PABonnick accused Arsenal of failing to uphold the principles they publicly espouse.
He said: “Talk’s cheap. Words are cheap. It’s all about integrity. It’s easy to say things but it’s doing it. You’ve got to live those values.”
He recalled attending internal meetings where corporate messaging rang hollow, saying: “You’d hear the current phrasing and you’d go, ‘Ooh, no. It’s not this. You’re not doing that’.”
When asked what message he would send to Arsenal’s leadership, Bonnick called for them to “revisit the case” and commission an independent review to examine “what did we do wrong” and prevent similar situations from occurring.
Bonnick accused Arsenal of failing to uphold the principles they publicly espouse
|
GETTYHe drew parallels between his dismissal and the sacking of Professor David Miller from Bristol University over comparable views, claiming he was dismissed as merely “a thick kit man” during his appeal hearing.
Bonnick’s legal representatives have argued he became the target of a “coordinated online smear campaign by pro-Israel Twitter accounts” before Arsenal ultimately dismissed him for bringing the club into disrepute.
The former kit man claimed he was initially labelled a “neo-Nazi anti-Semite” over his posts, with the club suspending him on grounds of anti-Semitism following a complaint.
However, Bonnick maintains that both Arsenal and the Football Association subsequently 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.”
GB News has approached Arsenal FC for a comment.