Paul Weller is suing his former accountants after they stopped working with him following his public criticism of Israel over their actions in Gaza.
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The former frontman of The Jam has filed a discrimination claim against accountancy firm Harris and Trotter, after his lawyers alleged that he was told in March that their accountants and tax advisers would no longer work with Weller or his companies over his political views.
According to a pre-action letter, a WhatsApp message from a partner at the firm said: “It’s well known what your political views are in relation to Israel, the Palestinians and Gaza, but we as a firm are offended at the assertions that Israel is committing any type of genocide.
“Everyone is entitled to their own views, but you are alleging such anti-Israel views that we as a firm with Jewish roots and many Jewish partners are not prepared to work with someone who holds these views,” per Sky News.
Weller’s lawyers claim that, in choosing to sever their business relationship with him, the firm unlawfully discriminated against his protected philosophical beliefs, including that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and Palestine should be recognised as a nation state.
Weller said: “I’ve always spoken out against injustice, whether it’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. What’s happening to the Palestinian people in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe.
“I believe they have the right to self-determination, dignity, and protection under international law, and I believe Israel is committing genocide against them. That must be called out.
“Silencing those who speak this truth is not just censorship – it’s complicity,” he continued. “I’m taking legal action not just for myself, but to help ensure that others are not similarly punished for expressing their beliefs about the rights of the Palestinian people.”
The legal letter says that Weller will donate any damages he receives to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.
Cormac McDonough, a lawyer at Hodge Jones and Allen, which is representing Weller, said his case “reflects a wider pattern of attempts to silence artists and public figures who speak out in support of Palestinian rights”.
He added: “Within the music industry especially, we are seeing increasing efforts to marginalise those who express solidarity with the people of Gaza.”
NME has contacted Harris and Trotter for comment.
Weller has been a vocal critic of Israel and has frequently expressed his support for Palestine, saying that he was “against genocides and ethnic cleansing” and performing with a Palestinian flag draped over his guitar amp.
He’s also taken part in efforts to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In October, he’ll perform at a ‘Gig For Gaza’ live event at the historic TROXY venue in London, which will raise funds for aid.
It follows on from the 2024 ‘Gig For Gaza’ event at Brixton Academy, which saw performances from Kneecap, Primal Scream, Paloma Faith, Liam Bailey and more, and raised over £125,000 for aid efforts.
In July, Weller joined Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie and The Clash’s Paul Simonon at a DJ event in London, where profits were shared with non-profit organisations working in Gaza.
Before then, he was seen as part of the huge crowd that gathered as Kneecap’s Mo Chara made his appearance in court in Westminster, charged with a terrorism offence for his comments relating to Palestine. The rapper appeared in court just days before their Glastonbury 2025 performance and was given unconditional bail.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023 that killed over 1100 people and saw 250 taken as hostages, multiple UN human-rights experts and UN bodies have stated that Israel’s military actions in Gaza may amount to genocide, and the International Court of Justice has found claims of genocide plausible.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 62,004 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
Israel rejects the genocide accusations and denies committing any war crimes, maintaining that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence.
