Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

British University Lecturer Fired for Saying ‘Jewish People Are the Cleverest in the World’

British University Lecturer Fired for Saying ‘Jewish People Are the Cleverest in the World’

University lecturer, 73, sacked for telling colleague 'Jewish people are the cleverest in the world' and 'Germans are good engineers' says he is victim of 'woke' university culture which is 'obsessed with racism' as he launches appeal against ruling.

A university lecturer was sacked after claiming 'Jewish people are the cleverest in the world' and 'Germans are good engineers'.

Stephen Lamonby claimed his comments were not racist or offensive because he was using 'positive stereotypes'.

The 73-year-old also said he 'had a soft spot' for young black men because they are underprivileged as 'many are without fathers' and so 'need all the help they can get'.

An employment tribunal heard the controversial remarks were made during a meeting with Dr Janet Bonar, his course leader at Solent University in Southampton, Hampshire.

The lecturer, who admits he does not know if his appeal will be successful, said: 'It's got so sensitive in these times and you can't ask anything or say anything.

'I said to my students that Germans are good at engineering and [the university] think it's racism.

'The Japanese and the Americans are all good engineers in my opinion too. We are over-sensitive now.

'I think lots of people would agree with what I say but the politically correct people won't.'

Mr Lamonby made similar comments about people from Eastern Europe, specifically citing Lithuanians.

An employment tribunal heard the remarks were made during a meeting with Dr Janet Bonar in the the university canteen in March 2019.

During the meeting Mr Lamonby told her that in his experience people from different countries had become good at certain things due to 'high exposure'.

Following the ruling, Mr Lamonby said he would be appealing, claiming he was a victim of a 'woke' culture and that universities are 'totally obsessed with racism'.






He said: 'I think the judgement came down to the fact the judge was a woke judge.'

He added: 'You can't make any comments [in universities] now because they are totally obsessed with racism and to talk about Jews in the context of racism is crazy because they are not even a race, they are an ethnicity.

'Free speech is totally dead in universities.'

He added: 'It was one of those off the cuff remarks and I know these days people are worried about Muslim terrorists so perhaps I should not have said it.'

Mr Lamonby, who had worked at Solent as a part-time associate lecturer for six years and teaches classes twice a week, claimed that 'Germans are good at engineering' because they are 'exposed to a high level of industry from an early stage in their lives'.

He also said: 'I have a soft spot for young black males. I do think that they are underprivileged and many [are] without fathers etc. need all the help they can get.'

During cross-examination, he was asked whether black people might find it offensive that they might need extra help and he said 'no, not just black people, also Lithuanians'.

He later added: 'I worked in Africa, Brunei, all over the world with these people. Perhaps it is inappropriate of me to say so but sometimes they need extra help.'

During their discussion, Dr Bonar, an engineering lecturer, mentioned she had a degree in physics and Lamonby reacted by saying Jewish people had 'a particular gift' for the subject.

He used Einstein as an example and then asked Dr Bonar if she was Jewish. The lecturer took offence to this and shouted that Mr Lamonby was a racist.

In response, he said: 'I believe that the Jewish are the cleverest people in the world. They are much maligned because of it.

'I asked if you were Jewish because of your ability with maths/physics etc. Which is a speciality of theirs.'

Mr Lamonby claimed Dr Bonar 'flew into a rage, threw chairs about, shouting abuse at me and stormed out'.

However, under cross examination, he amended his account and said: 'I did say temper, but didn't mean throwing chairs, but shoving chairs, but don't see that as relevant.'

Defending himself, he also said: 'I was excited to think she might be one of them – excited to meet a Jewish physicist, who had been my heroes since boyhood.'

A few hours after their argument Dr Bonar emailed Mr Lamonby and said that in future perhaps it would be better if conversations they had were focused on their studies, rather than their 'widely different views on race and national characteristics.'

He replied angrily saying he was 'not used to being smacked down like a schoolboy' and called a racist.

After an investigation was launched, Mr Lamonby defended his comments again and gave another example of 'high exposure' - Eskimos being good at fishing.

He claimed he was 'shocked' by Dr Bonar's reaction and said: 'My comments were simply stating that, arising from my lifetime of experience, I have come to believe that certain nationalities have developed a higher level of skill in some areas.

'This is directly related to the level of exposure to criteria such as industry and education. This is not radical thinking; it is simply a view that reflects environmental privilege in general terms.'

Dr Bonar told the tribunal she felt 'concerned about our students being taught by someone with his entrenched racist views'.

During a final disciplinary hearing he eventually admitted he had 'been clumsy' in his language and 'apologised profoundly' saying he had no intention of being racist.

Despite this, he continued to make 'inappropriate' comments during the hearing, referring to ethnic groups as 'they' and to Jews having 'neurological differences'

Vice Chancellor Julie Hall, who chaired the hearing, said Mr Lamonby did not understand that what he had said was offensive. He was dismissed for gross misconduct.

The tribunal, which was held in Bristol, concluded that the university had a duty to its 'multi-cultural, predominantly young student body' to protect them from potential acts of racism and dismissed his claims of unfair dismissal and breach of contract.

Judge C H O'Rourke said: 'For the avoidance of doubt, I find that it is clearly at least potentially racist to group nationalities, races, ethnic or religious groups, by entire categories and to ascribe certain abilities or talents (or the opposite) to them, when, of course, as with any such group, talents or abilities will vary wildly from individual to individual...

'While Mr Lamonby sought to argue that his stereotyping (which it was) was positive, such 'positivity' is nonetheless potentially offensive to the recipient.

'A Jew told they are good at physics - because they are a Jew - may well consider that as demeaning their personal intellectual ability/hard work.

'Secondly, it could also be simply grossly offensive, as the person may not actually be Jewish, but feel some characteristic is being ascribed to them.

'Thirdly, even if they are Jewish, they may quite properly consider it none of Mr Lamonby's business.'

The London-based engineer now works freelance and his specialist company Plusfilm, which provided film sets with stunt vehicles, has been dormant for seven years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×