A major British train operating company has implemented a ban on staff wearing pro-Palestine solidarity badges during working hours, following a formal legal complaint lodged by a pro-Israel advocacy group that argued the political symbols created a hostile environment for Jewish passengers. The incident that sparked the policy change dates back to June 14, when a Jewish passenger was traveling on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service connecting Edinburgh to London. The passenger, who identifies as Jewish, filed a complaint stating that a food service employee wearing an official RMT trade union “Palestine Solidarity” badge left them feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome during their journey.
The badge at the center of the dispute was produced and distributed by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), Britain’s main rail workers’ union. It features the text “Palestine Solidarity” overlaying the Palestinian national flag alongside the RMT’s official logo. After receiving the passenger’s complaint, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), a pro-Israel legal organization, issued a formal legal letter to LNER last month pressing the company to address the issue.
In its complaint, UKLFI argued that political symbols worn by customer-facing rail staff violate the UK’s 2010 Equality Act, which places a legal obligation on service providers to avoid subjecting customers to harassment based on protected characteristics, including religion. The group claimed the badge could create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for Jewish, Israeli and Zionist passengers.
In response to queries from Middle East Eye, an LNER spokesperson confirmed the company’s existing uniform policy regulates the badges staff may wear while on duty. Under the policy, customer-facing staff are only permitted to wear one small pin badge on their blazer lapel, which must either be issued directly by LNER, aligned to an official company charity or public campaign, or limited to the standard logo of the worker’s trade union. Unauthorized external items, including political solidarity badges, are not permitted under the existing policy.
LNER Managing Director David Horne confirmed in a response to UKLFI that the company had taken swift and appropriate action following the complaint. Horne noted that the employee involved was spoken to on June 17, three days after the reported incident, and reminded of the company’s uniform requirements. A company-wide briefing was also issued to all LNER staff to reiterate that no unauthorized badges or accessories may be worn as part of the official uniform during working hours. Horne added that the chair of LNER’s internal On Train Company Council, the staff representative body, was informed of the disciplinary action and expressed agreement with the company’s position.
UKLFI director Caroline Turner praised LNER’s response, saying the organization was pleased the rail provider acted quickly and decisively to address the complaint. “Public transport providers serve passengers from every community,” Turner said in a formal statement. “Jewish passengers should be able to travel without being confronted by political messaging from staff members whilst receiving services.”
The RMT, which has been one of the most prominent British trade unions supporting Palestinian solidarity and backing protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, declined to comment on the LNER decision. The union has previously issued public statements condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, encouraged its members to organize pro-Palestine advocacy in workplaces, and called on workers to join national pro-Palestine marches across the UK.
LNER’s decision comes against a backdrop of growing national debate in the UK over the limits of pro-Palestine solidarity expression in public workplaces, in the wake of Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza that began in October 2023. Palestinian solidarity campaigners have raised widespread concerns that British employers are disproportionately restricting displays of support for Palestinians, while opponents argue that customer-facing public service staff should not display overt political messaging that could alienate passengers or service users.
The LNER case is not an isolated incident. Earlier in 2024, the UK Department of Health and Social Care endorsed a review of anti-Jewish hate and racism in the National Health Service led by the government’s antisemitism adviser Lord John Mann. The review recommended mandatory antisemitism training for 1.5 million NHS workers, alongside a ban on all NHS staff displaying political symbols including pro-Palestine badges in the workplace, and a ban on staff attending pro-Palestine protests while wearing official NHS uniform. Since the outbreak of the war, multiple British public sector workers have faced disciplinary action for displaying pro-Palestine solidarity in the workplace. One high-profile case involved a British-Palestinian nurse who was ordered to remove a video call background depicting a watermelon, a common symbol of Palestinian solidarity, after it was flagged as potentially antisemitic.