Arsenal kit-man debacle spirals after open letter

Outraged political campaigner Andrew Feinstein has sent a damning letter to the CEO and co-chairperson of Arsenal over its decision to sack long-time employee Mark Bonnick.

The kit man was suspended and then dismissed in December 2024 for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza, signaling that undue repression of British citizens for challenging Israel is still going strong.

Justifying their disgusting decision, Arsenal bosses alleged that the ‘offending’ comments would bring the club into disrepute.

In stark contrast, Feinstein stated:

I would argue that to not speak out against these appalling crimes would bring any institution into disrepute.

After all, genocide scholars, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have declared that Israel’s acts against Palestinians are indeed genocide. These findings hardly come as a shock when Israeli officials have been stating their murderous intentions painfully clearly since October 7 2023.

Andrew Feinstein: ‘I introduced the first ever motion on the Holocaust’

In Feinstein’s letter, addressed to Richard Garlick and Josh Kroenke, he affirmed his pride as a Jewish Arsenal fan and having been a “season ticket holder of almost twenty years”.

He also pointed out his wealth of knowledge and personal experience on the serious issue of genocide:

And as the son of a Holocaust survivor who lost dozens of her family mainly at Auschwitz where I have lectured on genocide prevention; as an author and expert on the global arms trade, conflict and genocide; and as a former ANC Member of Parliament serving under Nelson Mandela where I introduced the first ever motion on the Holocaust in the history of the South African Parliament.

Speaking to his “deep concern and outrage” at Bonnick’s sacking, Feinstein further highlighted why his comments were in no way antisemitic as was claimed:

Mark expressed views on the conflict in Gaza and Israel’s behaviour that are not inflammatory or offensive and certainly do not bring the club into disrepute. As an anti-racist who has experienced antisemitism personally, and having devoted my adult life to fighting all racism and discrimination, I do not believe anything Mark has said could be interpreted as an antisemitic trope or blood libel, except by those who will not tolerate any criticism of the state of Israel.

Crucially, Mark’s comments were made in the context of the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, determining that Israel was likely perpetrating a genocide in Gaza. This view is shared by 98% of human rights organisations, most human rights lawyers, relevant UN bodies and the vast majority of genocide experts, including a significant number of Israeli experts.

At this point, over 70,000 people have been slaughtered, over 70% of them women and children. Senior Israeli politicians and military leaders have been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and genocide.

As Feinstein clearly explains to the pro-Israel football bosses, the Genocide Convention was created with international consensus in response to the “horrific tragedy of the Holocaust” to ensure that this immeasurable cruelty and violence could never repeat itself.

Referring to the term ‘never again’, he underscores how that applies to “all humanity, including Palestinians”.

Arsenal show double standards with invitation for Zionist influencer

Last year, Bonnick, 62, announced plans to sue the club for unfair dismissal and discrimination, according to reports. He was a committed employee at Arsenal football club for 22 years.

Bonnick’s dismissal exposes a sinister double standard at play in the decisions made by the club’s management. Just compare their treatment of Bonnick with their treatment of influencer Matthew ‘Papa’ Pincus. Pincus openly promotes pro-Zionist, pro-genocide views and is regularly present pitch-side.

The contrast is stark.

It’s clear that Bonnick  felt compelled to speak out against the mass murder of Palestinians, like many across the country. But as we all know, anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Feinstein, a Jewish man and the child of a Holocaust survivor, once again refuses to see ordinary people penalised for calling for justice.

He wrote:

The views expressed by Mark are, according to numerous polls, shared by a majority of people in Britain, including many Jews like me. The Jewish community does not think with one mind about this or any other issue. I understand that not all Arsenal supporters might share his views, but based on the above surveys, it is likely that a majority do.

In addition, like with the case of apartheid South Africa, there are certain humanitarian situations that compel people to speak out. This genocide, because of its scale, illegality and brutality, is undoubtedly one of them.

Hypocritical double standard exposed – now fix it!

Feinstein equally picked up on Arsenal’s gross double standard in his letter to the big bosses.

…it would be extremely hypocritical of the club to suggest an employee has no right to express a personal political view, when the club emblazoned the Ukrainian flag on the stadium scoreboard after the horrific, illegal Russian invasion. A number of high-profile employees, players no less, have historically expressed political views on their social media.

That a longtime, hardworking and loyal member of the Arsenal family can be dismissed so callously for expressing a point of view is not just shocking but is an insult to the values that have run through the club for generations.

He then finished with a final plea to Garlick and Kroenke:

I, and many others, are deeply disturbed by the club’s action.

I, therefore, call on you to reverse this decision.

At the Canary, we’ll be watching closely to see whether Arsenal choose to take any real remedial action or not.

Featured image via the Canary