Former Arsenal kitman Mark Bonnick.
Mark Bonnick is suing the Premier League leaders for unfair dismissal, alleging his “philosophical anti-Zionist belief” lay behind his “discriminatory” firing.
Bonnick, who worked at Arsenal since the early 2000s, was sacked on Christmas Eve 2024 after posting a series of messages on social media that included references to “Jewish supremacy” and “ethnic cleansing”.
In an interview with Real Politik, he said: “I just think Arsenal were basically profit before people.”
Bonnick, who said his legal dispute with the club was “going to mediation in June”, also accused them of failing to live up to their own values.
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, not just go, ‘Oh, here you are. Here’s a nice, little phrase’. No. Even at Arsenal, I’d go to meetings, and whatever, and you’d hear the current phrasing and you’d go, ‘Ooh, no. It’s not this. You’re not doing that.”
Asked what he would like to say to the Arsenal leadership, he replied: “Firstly, I’d ask them to go and look at themselves, revisit the case, see what they’ve done, how they’ve handled it. Also, ask for an independent review, and go, ‘What did we do wrong? How can we put this right? How can we make sure we do not make the same mistakes again and put others through the stuff that we put Mark through?’.”
Bonnick said his social media posts had seen him accused of being a “Neo-Nazi anti-Semite” and that Arsenal had initially told him that he had been suspended for antisemitism following a complaint against him. He said that both the club and Football Association later accepted he had not been antisemitic and that the latter had found his comments “not to be inflammatory, not to be offensive, \[but\] to be political”.
He broke down in tears more than once upon discussing his fight to clear his name, saying: “Sorry, I’m supposed to be a big, hard man.”
He also accused Arsenal of taking his posts “out of context” and compared his sacking to that by Bristol University of Professor David Miller for expressing similar beliefs. Claiming he had been challenged during his appeal hearing over his right to do so, he said: “It was just, ‘You’re a thick, kitman’.”
He added: “For me, the case is about morality, humanity − on my behalf − integrity. It’s cancellation. People don’t want to hear certain things said.”
In the legal action he launched back in May, Bonnick said: “Israel is an apartheid state. I was sacked not for misconduct, but for expressing grief and outrage over genocide. Despite being this close to retirement, I have no regrets. Arsenal must apologise, reinstate me, and take a stand against anti-Palestinian racism.”
The legal team representing Bonnick, who is a lifelong supporter of the club, argued he was targeted by a “coordinated online smear campaign by pro-Israel Twitter accounts”. They claimed Bonnick was ultimately dismissed on the grounds that he brought the club into disrepute.
It was reported in December 2024 that Arsenal had received complaints about Bonnick’s posts from one of their supporter groups, with the club saying in a statement at the time: “We are investigating this matter in line with our internal policies and procedures. Arsenal stands against all forms of abuse and discrimination.”
The club and the FA have been approached for comment.