Ali v. Mindful Care, Inc., decided two weeks ago by the Illinois Human Rights Commission rejected claims by Ali, who had been an employee of a mental health services clinic. (Commissioners Janice M. Glenn and Gregory E. Vaci wrote the opinion, with Commissioner Mony Ruiz-Velasco dissenting.) Ali claimed that:
[O]n January 3, 2024, a video she was in gained popularity on social media… [T]he video was made on December 29, 2023, and showed Petitioner, off duty, taking down a poster that was attached to an outdoor pole. [According to the employer,] {the video showed Petitioner removing posters depicting children that were kidnapped in Israel on October 7, 2022, by the group Hamas and being held hostage} …. [I]n response to the video, she was harassed by hate groups, including one that she called "Stop Antisemitism." … [T]he poster she was taking down was intended to create fear, justify the genocide in Palestine, and encouraged the killing of Palestinian children….
Petitioner was allegedly fired on the grounds that "the video was not a good look for Employer," that the employer "was being called antisemitic by online commentators" and was "losing patients as a result of the video" and "the action Petitioner took was misaligned with Employer's core values and … Petitioner's conduct showed a lack of empathy toward the events on October 7, 2022."
