A lecturer previously employed by the University of Bristol, who successfully argued in a significant tribunal that anti-Zionism should be considered a legally protected characteristic, recently went to the funeral of ex-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
David Miller, who was fired from his position at the University of Bristol due to complaints from Jewish students who claimed he made them feel uneasy and threatened, was present at Nasrallah’s funeral held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut over the weekend.
The former sociology lecturer, whom an employment tribunal determined had been unjustly terminated for remarks he made regarding Israel, posted a video of the event on X.
One video shows Mr Miller, who works for Iranian state-owned Press TV, flanked by thousands of mourners proudly waving Hezbollah and Iran flags.
The former lecturer, who also taught at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Bath, praised attendees as ‘a tide of humanity’ and described ‘yellow [Hezbollah] flags fluttering in the sun’.
Mr Miller, who arrived in Lebanon on Friday, wrote that he ‘made it into the stadium in the nick of time’. In another post he said the ‘ceremony has begun, in a sunny Beirut.’
Hours earlier he wrote: ‘Stuck in traffic on the way to the funeral of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine.
‘A few people seem to have made it to the stadium already. But, yeah, the Axis of Resistance is definitely finished.’
While Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation, Mr Miller called on the UK government to stop recognising it as such.
‘The British government should drop its foolish proscription of Hizballah forthwith and start to come to terms with the realities of West Asia,’ he wrote on X.
David Miller attended the funeral of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut (pictured October 2023)Â
Hundreds of thousands of people packed into the stadium in Beirut and nearby streets to commemorate Nasrallah
The former sociology lecturer, who an employment tribunal last year ruled was ‘unfairly dismissed’ following comments he made about Israel, shared footage of the ceremony on X
Mr Miller, who arrived in Lebanon on Friday, wrote that he ‘made it into the stadium in the nick of time
Mr Miller had previously described the ‘Zionist movement’ as one of the ‘five pillars of Islamophobia’
On Friday he called for the British government to stop recognising Hezbollah as proscribed terrorist organisation
MailOnline has contacted David Miller for comment.Â
Mr Miller joined large crowds who gathered on Sunday for the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader.Â
Hundreds of thousands of people packed into the stadium in Beirut and nearby streets to commemorate Nasrallah, a founder and leader of the terrorist group for more than 30 years, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
His death was a major blow for the Iran-backed group.
A Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity estimated the crowd size at 450,000.
A Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity estimated the crowd size at 450,000
Women wailed as a truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine – Nasrallah’s chosen successor also killed in an Israeli air strike – slowly moved through the crowdÂ
Hezbollah’s new leader, Nasrallah’s successor Naim Qassem, vowed ‘resistance’ to ‘face Israel’ was not over in his televised address at the ceremonyÂ
As the ceremony began, Israeli warplanes flew at a low altitude over the stadium, in what Defence Minister Israel Katz said was a ‘clear message’ to anyone who threatens Israel
Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were also in attendance.
As the ceremony began, Israeli warplanes flew at a low altitude over the stadium, in what Defence Minister Israel Katz said was a ‘clear message’ to anyone who threatens Israel.
‘You will specialise in funerals – and we in victories,’ Katz said.
Women wailed as a truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine – Nasrallah’s chosen successor also killed in an Israeli air strike – slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah’s yellow flag.
The procession headed towards the site where Nasrallah will be buried.
Safieddine will be interred in his southern hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr on Monday.
Hezbollah’s new leader, Nasrallah’s successor Naim Qassem, vowed ‘resistance’ to ‘face Israel’ was not over in his televised address at the ceremony.
He added that Hezbollah would keep following his ‘path’, and rejected any control by the ‘tyrant America’ over Lebanon.
Nasrallah speeches were blasted as the mourners raised their fists in the air and chanted: ‘We are at your service, Nasrallah.’
Last year Mr Miller’s employment tribunal found that expressing anti-Zionist views is a ‘philosophical belief and a protected characteristic’ under the 2010 Equality Act.
David Miller was ‘unfairly dismissed’ from his post at Bristol University following remarks he made about Israel, an employment tribunal ruled
In an ‘on the record’ email to a student, David Miller said that Zionism was ‘an endemically anti-Arab and Islamophobic ideology. It has no place in any society’
The Union of Jewish Students said it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision which ‘may set a dangerous precedent about what can be lawfully said on campus’. It warned the ruling would ‘make Jewish students less safe’.
Mr Miller had previously described  the ‘Zionist movement’ as one of the ‘five pillars of Islamophobia’.
On the Electronic Intifada website, he also wrote: ‘There is a real question of abuse here, of Jewish students on British campuses being used as political pawns by a violent, racist foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing.’
In an ‘on the record’ email to Ben Bloch, a student and news editor of The Bristol Tab university newspaper, he said: ‘Zionism is and always has been a racist, violent, imperialist ideology premised on ethnic cleansing. It is an endemically anti-Arab and Islamophobic ideology. It has no place in any society.’
He has also claimed that ‘Jews are not discriminated against’ and described the Bristol University Jewish Society as an ‘Israel lobby group’
The former lecturer said he felt ‘vindicated’ and ‘very proud’ at the employment tribunal’s ruling from Judge Rohan Pirani. He added: ‘This is not just a victory for me, but also a victory for pro-Palestine campaigners across Britain.’
