An employment tribunal in Wales is upholding the cancellation of a teacher for criticising Islam, abortion, and the LGBTQ.

Ben Dybowski, a teaching temp at an Anglican school in Wales was fired for sharing his opinions at a “safe space” training session with over 100 other teachers.

Some teachers took exception to questions he was asking, and reported Dybowski for hurting their feelings.

They had taken offence at Dybowski’s views that life began at conception, marriage was only between a male and a female, and that Sharia law was a problem.

He was, the court ruling said, seeking clarification from the trainer about whether or not ‘expressing his beliefs could be discrimination,’ under the UK’s Equality Act.

Just before Christmas I got the Employment Tribunal judgement in my case. I lost.

I will appeal.

Because what could I say to my grandchildren if they asked me one day:

How could you and your generation leave us a country in such a state – and we CAN'T EVEN talk about it? pic.twitter.com/tNITvXY57N

— Ben Dybowski (@WakeUpSpeakUp1) January 14, 2025

According to the chronological recount, some colleagues viewed Dybowski’s questions as hate speech, implying that the teacher was hijacking the training meeting.

At a meeting with the school’s principal the following day, Dybowski was told staff wanted him fired on the spot.

Although the Principal had initially refused to dismiss Dybowski, he was eventually told to leave.

The Principal fired Dybowski after he refused to play along with what is best described as a – join-the-group-think-or-else – struggle session.

Failing to convince Dybowski that his opinions, and words were violence, which violated the UK Equality Act, the Anglican school principal demanded he leave.

During the struggle session, Dybowski was told, that either asking questions or sharing his views, whether in private or in his profession, was liable to cause great offence.

Dybowski’s views on Islam, abortion, and the LGBTQ also reflected poorly on the Anglican school’s “welcoming ethos.”

Furthermore, because his opinions and questions are viewed by some as offensive, Dybowski was in breach of the law.

So, either Dybowski worked in silence, or he wouldn’t work at all.

By doing so the school’s Principal inadvertently exposed the UK Equality Act as an anti-free speech vehicle for “debate-is-hate” censorship.

While the principal appeared to say that his hands were tied, the principal accused Dybowski of “openly contradicting the act.”

This is because Dybowski repeatedly asked the principal to confirm whether or not a teacher had the right to respond to questions from students with an honest answer.

When describing the law as policing “thought crimes or opinion crimes,” Dybowski stated, “it’s the closest to 1984 I’ve ever been.”

The principal, not content to leave it there, went further and denounced Dybowski.

Their debate ended with the principal name-dropping the act, saying, “We need to make a referral to the Education Workforce Council (EWC) as your views are not appropriate for the children.”

Dybowski replied, “…I think it’s ridiculous and I think this is the demise of the West, you know. No views, even in private life.”

The principal replied, “I’m going to end it here. The Equality Act…”

Dybowski fired back, “Yes, please do. It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing.”

To which the Principal answered: “The Equality Act says…”

Calling him out, Dybowski clearly shaken, doubled down, stating, “You’re the wokest headmaster I’ve worked with. I haven’t worked with too many, but you’re the wokest.”

This astonishing exchange between the two educators was covertly recorded by Dybowski and is documented in pages 9-15 of the 53-page judgement.

After being reported by the principal, Dybowski fell afoul of the EWC.

Dybowski was also alleged to have “threatened” the life of a transitioning teenager for not using the LGBTrans identifying person’s preferred pronoun.

However, the judgement said, the evidence did not support claims that Dybowski was intentionally “abusive” to the student because it was shown he simply got the person’s preferred pronouns mixed up.

Despite the facts in this example exonerating him, the Anglican school seemingly weaponised that incident, in an apparent attempt to justify reporting Dybowski to the EWC regulatory body.

In its judgement, the Employment Tribunal cited European Union human rights definitions and ruled in favour of the school.

Sky News [truthfully]: "He asked whether expressing his personal views could be considered discrimination – and went on to give examples, including that true marriage is a union between a man and a woman, human life begins at conception and saying he was critical of some aspects… pic.twitter.com/WleRdzjYgx

— Ben Dybowski (@WakeUpSpeakUp1) February 19, 2025

They applauded the principal for ‘reaching a reasonable conclusion’ that Dybowski ‘would not refrain from manifesting his beliefs in the same manner within the school environment.’

The ruling also accused Dybowski of having ‘a complete lack of awareness as to how the way he expressed his views might have impacted on other people.’

On balance, the ET did drop some fair criticisms of the school.

Dybowski expressing Christian views on marriage, and abortion, ‘in a Christian school environment would not be objectionable.’

Additionally, ‘Causing offence is not in itself a good enough reason to justify the school seeking to silence Dybowski unless it broke with the Equality Act.’

In the end, Dybowski’s dismissal seems to have been upheld on a technicality found in his criticisms of Sharia Law.

While his beliefs were protected by UK law, Dybowski had not backed up his criticisms of Islam, the tribunal said.

‘Had the belief been expressed in a different way we may have reached a different conclusion,’ they added.

Those criticisms were offensive to Muslims, read as an opinion, and as such, are considered to be outside the scope of religious freedom.

Through the “ethic of niceness” parameters of politeness, this is a case of political correctness paralysing thought, speech, and education.

Here is an educator telling another educator, he cannot teach, unless he repeats the approved “safe space” narrative.

This makes Dybowski’s dismissal as astonishingly stupid, as it is worrying.

Teachers are under suspicion when they give students honest answers to their questions and are labelled “unsafe” if they do.

It turns out Vice President J.D Vance was right.

Dybowski’s case is a sharp vindication of Vance’s comments about how Europe, and the UK, have free speech in retreat.

Read the complete ruling here.