A Waitrose wine specialist is facing the sack for sharing a series of tweets including a cartoon joking about children naming 100 different genders, MailOnline can reveal.
Ben Woods, 41, has worked at the Henley branch of Waitrose in Oxfordshire for 25 years – since he was just 15 years old.
But now ‘woke’ bosses at the upmarket store have accused Ben of misconduct.
His tweets include a repost of a cartoon joking a child had failed a sexual education class for failing to name 100 different genders and comments about banning the Burqa and marriage between cousins.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Ben said Waitrose had ‘destroyed’ his life and made him suicidal by suspending him from the job he loved.
He said: ‘I’ve given them my life. They are supposed to be a family-run company and the bastion of the high street who had a reputation for looking after their staff and being a good employer, which is what I used to think.
‘Waitrose has been treating me like a criminal. I’m a Conservative. That’s not illegal.’
MailOnline understands Waitrose believes it has fair and detailed people policies to safeguard its employees’ welfare.
Wine specialist Ben Woods, 41, (pictured) is facing the sack from Waitrose’s branch in Henley
Ben believes he will be sacked in a meeting with Waitrose due to a series of tweets he made
He has worked at the supermarket in Henley for 25 years since he was 15 years old
Ben added: ‘My employer is attacking me because of my personal opinions. It’s a witch hunt. I’ve been thrown to the wolves to protect their image and their woke ideology.
‘It’s really upsetting. It looks like they are going to sack me. They just want to get me out of the way.
‘I’ve been an exemplary employee. Twenty-five years of service. My customers loved me and I loved my job.’
The 41-year-old first joined Waitrose as a supermarket assistant in the wine department when he was 15.
Over the next 25 years, he worked his way up through the ranks and took multiple courses to become a wine specialist.
Yet his dream career has been stopped in its tracks after strangers complained about him to Waitrose.
Ben gained widespread recognition when X owner Elon Musk retweeted one of his tweets, which said: ‘Raise your hand if you want a national inquiry into the grooming rape gang scandal.’
Musk’s retweet was seen by 63 million people and propelled Ben’s account into the limelight.
One of Ben’s tweets was reposted by X owner Elon Musk, which propelled the wine specialist into the limelight
Pictured: Ben Woods at work in Henley’s Waitrose during happier times
Ben told MailOnline that his life had been ‘destroyed’ and he was left suicidal because of Waitrose’s investigation
This is the Waitrose in the leafy Oxfordshire town of Henley that Ben has worked at for the last 25 years of his life
Ben is being represented by Elliot Hammer, the head of employment and a partner at legal firm Branch Austin McCormick
When Waitrose suspended Ben, they sent him a file with 30 allegedly problematic tweets.
One was a tweet joking that a horse standing beside an obese woman should ‘run away as fast as you can old boy’.
Another said a book entitled ‘In My Daddy’s Belly’ with an image of a pregnant man was ‘spreading misinformation’.
A third joked a black umbrella spotted over a fence allegedly resembled Shamima Begum.
In more of his tweets, Ben called OnlyFans model Lily Phillips a ‘pathetic narcissist with low self esteem and a greedy appetite for fame and money’ and asked if burqas and hijabs should be banned in the UK.
A poll he made asking if the UK should close its borders received more than 4,000 votes, with 98.3 per cent voting yes.
Ben doesn’t believe any of his tweets were racist and he was not a ‘white supremacist’ or a ‘Nazi’ as some social media users have called him.
The posts, which some people have found offensive, were seen as problematic by Waitrose.
Some people alleged they were discriminatory, racist, sexist, transphobic, classist and insulting.
When Waitrose suspended Ben, they sent him a file with 30 allegedly problematic tweets
The wine specialist told MailOnline: ‘Waitrose has been treating me like a criminal. I’m a Conservative. That’s not illegal’
Many of the posts were not opinions but questions asked by Ben. Of the ones that did have opinions, many people disagreed with him and many agreed.
Ben maintained he was simply a Conservative who enjoyed posting his views on social media.
He said his life started to crumble after Elon Musk’s retweet of his post about the grooming scandal.
The wine specialist said: ‘I was getting quite a lot of visibility. I was doxxed. Two accounts put I worked at Henley-on-Thames and put a photo of me.
‘That got seen by a million people and Waitrose were aware then.
‘I’ve had death threats. I went into work to do my shift and someone said, ”you’ve got a phone call”.
‘I said, ”Hello, Waitrose wine department, how can I help you?”
‘This person said, ”We know who you are, we’re going to kill you.”’
Ben praised Thames Valley Police for supporting him and trying to find the culprit but said Waitrose soon started its own investigation — into him.
He said: ‘When they started their investigation, I was suicidal. They suspended me. My anxiety was really shot to pieces. It still is.
‘The investigations were like interrogations – four hours long and it was awful. It was emotionally draining, really upsetting.
‘I’m in a real dark place. My doctor put me on antidepressants.’
Although Ben is resigned to being sacked on Monday, he fears what his treatment could spell for other Waitrose employees.
‘Does that mean anyone who works for Waitrose can’t have an opinion? They’re not allowed to vote?
I’m very passionate about politics and my country. I have an opinion – my personal account has nothing to do with Waitrose. All views are my own.
‘I have to fight back and protect my name and image.
‘It’s been really hard. It’s very overwhelming. I’ve been there 25 years. It’s destroyed my life.’
Now he is raising money to support his legal battle against Waitrose with the help of employment lawyer Elliot Hammer from legal firm Branch Austin McCormick.
Hammer, who is the head of employment and a partner at Branch Austin McCormick, said: ‘Employees like Ben have rights under the Equality Act and Article 10 to manifest lawful beliefs and engage in robust debate about political matters’.
A Waitrose spokeswoman said: ‘We would never discuss individuals so we won’t be making any comment.’
Regarding Ben receiving a death threat over the phone at work, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: ‘Following an investigation after a report received into Thames Valley Police on January 4, an investigation was launched to seek to identify an offender.
‘However, this investigation did not lead to positive identification of a suspect, and as such, the case has now been filed, pending any new information coming to light.’
- For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
