- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 17,329
- Points
- 113
PCSO wins appeal following his suspension after raising questions during diversity training
Luke Salmons said a training day on race, religion and culture turned into an ‘indoctrination’ session on Islam Credit: Asadour Guzelian
A Christian former police community support officer has won a legal settlement from North Yorkshire Police after taking legal action when he was forced out of his role and permanently barred from policing for asking questions about Islam during mandatory diversity training.
Luke Salmons, a former Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), brought legal claims against the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, alleging the force unlawfully discriminated against him because of his Christian beliefs and violated his rights to freedom of religion and expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the matter has now settled without the need for Mr Salmons to pursue his case to trial before the Employment Tribunal.
Mr Salmons’ case offers a rare insight into the level of political and ideological control being exercised through so‑called ‘diversity’ training within the UK police, raising serious concerns about freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the treatment of Christians and other dissenting voices in public institutions.
Mr Salmons resigned during a prolonged suspension in May 2025 due to the severe impact the process was having on him and his family. Despite this, he was later dismissed for “gross misconduct” in July 2025 and placed on the Police Barred List, preventing him from ever working in policing again.
He brought claims including constructive dismissal, direct and indirect religious discrimination, harassment under the Equality Act 2010, and unlawful interference with his rights under Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
His legal case argued that North Yorkshire Police operated a one‑sided interpretation of equality and diversity, excluding orthodox Christian beliefs while privileging others. Training sessions advertised as “safe spaces”, his claim stated, were only safe for views aligned with prevailing institutional ideology.
The case has now been settled on confidential terms.
“Islam is a religion of peace” mantra in training
The legal action centred on events beginning in autumn 2024, when Mr Salmons attended a compulsory pilot training programme intended to help develop a new North Yorkshire Police policy on race, religion and culture. The course was delivered by external trainers and presented as a “safe space” where officers were encouraged to ask challenging questions.
During one session on race, religion and culture, Mr Salmons recalls trainers repeatedly walking up and down the room chanting, “Islam is a religion of peace.”
“At that point,” Mr Salmons said, “it stopped being training and became indoctrination.”
He says training content focused heavily on Islam, with little or no attention given to Christianity. On another occasion, when asked to write a piece about Easter for the internal staff intranet, he was instructed that it could not include Bible verses.
Matters escalated on 8 October 2024 during a section of the Culture, Race and Religion course delivered by a Muslim police sergeant. Participants were explicitly told they were free to discuss difficult topics.
During the session, Mr Salmons asked the sergeant for his thoughts on the situation in Gaza and the Middle East, where Islamist groups such as Hamas commit atrocities in the name of Islam. Following that discussion, he asked a follow‑up question about how the sergeant understood the term “jihad”.
The exchange was respectful but robust. The sergeant engaged fully and later invited Mr Salmons to continue the conversation over coffee.
Mr Salmons referenced a widely published Christian book, Answering Jihad – A Better Way Forward by former Muslim and New York Times bestselling author Nabeel Qureshi. He later brought the book to work in case it was requested, but never offered it to anyone.
Sudden suspension and secret allegations
Despite reassurances that the sessions were safe spaces for free discussion, Mr Salmons was suspended on 10 October 2024, just two days later.
On a separate occasion, during antisemitism training where questions were openly encouraged, Mr Salmons was shut down by his inspector for asking relevant questions about how the government was tackling antisemitism….
Luke Salmons said a training day on race, religion and culture turned into an ‘indoctrination’ session on Islam Credit: Asadour Guzelian
A Christian former police community support officer has won a legal settlement from North Yorkshire Police after taking legal action when he was forced out of his role and permanently barred from policing for asking questions about Islam during mandatory diversity training.
Luke Salmons, a former Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), brought legal claims against the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, alleging the force unlawfully discriminated against him because of his Christian beliefs and violated his rights to freedom of religion and expression under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the matter has now settled without the need for Mr Salmons to pursue his case to trial before the Employment Tribunal.
Mr Salmons’ case offers a rare insight into the level of political and ideological control being exercised through so‑called ‘diversity’ training within the UK police, raising serious concerns about freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the treatment of Christians and other dissenting voices in public institutions.
Mr Salmons resigned during a prolonged suspension in May 2025 due to the severe impact the process was having on him and his family. Despite this, he was later dismissed for “gross misconduct” in July 2025 and placed on the Police Barred List, preventing him from ever working in policing again.
He brought claims including constructive dismissal, direct and indirect religious discrimination, harassment under the Equality Act 2010, and unlawful interference with his rights under Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
His legal case argued that North Yorkshire Police operated a one‑sided interpretation of equality and diversity, excluding orthodox Christian beliefs while privileging others. Training sessions advertised as “safe spaces”, his claim stated, were only safe for views aligned with prevailing institutional ideology.
The case has now been settled on confidential terms.
“Islam is a religion of peace” mantra in training
The legal action centred on events beginning in autumn 2024, when Mr Salmons attended a compulsory pilot training programme intended to help develop a new North Yorkshire Police policy on race, religion and culture. The course was delivered by external trainers and presented as a “safe space” where officers were encouraged to ask challenging questions.
During one session on race, religion and culture, Mr Salmons recalls trainers repeatedly walking up and down the room chanting, “Islam is a religion of peace.”
“At that point,” Mr Salmons said, “it stopped being training and became indoctrination.”
He says training content focused heavily on Islam, with little or no attention given to Christianity. On another occasion, when asked to write a piece about Easter for the internal staff intranet, he was instructed that it could not include Bible verses.
Matters escalated on 8 October 2024 during a section of the Culture, Race and Religion course delivered by a Muslim police sergeant. Participants were explicitly told they were free to discuss difficult topics.
During the session, Mr Salmons asked the sergeant for his thoughts on the situation in Gaza and the Middle East, where Islamist groups such as Hamas commit atrocities in the name of Islam. Following that discussion, he asked a follow‑up question about how the sergeant understood the term “jihad”.
The exchange was respectful but robust. The sergeant engaged fully and later invited Mr Salmons to continue the conversation over coffee.
Mr Salmons referenced a widely published Christian book, Answering Jihad – A Better Way Forward by former Muslim and New York Times bestselling author Nabeel Qureshi. He later brought the book to work in case it was requested, but never offered it to anyone.
Sudden suspension and secret allegations
Despite reassurances that the sessions were safe spaces for free discussion, Mr Salmons was suspended on 10 October 2024, just two days later.
On a separate occasion, during antisemitism training where questions were openly encouraged, Mr Salmons was shut down by his inspector for asking relevant questions about how the government was tackling antisemitism….
