Boy have we gotten all messed up about the differences among philosophy, religion, science and just good old mundane understandings of right and wrong.
I think philosophical beliefs do deserve the same protections as religious beliefs. It's odd that this guy's philosophical beliefs are in line with the nature of the business, animal rights, yet they are supposed to have fired him for his beliefs. Something has to have been left out of this account, as you suggest. What did he DO to promote his beliefs? Was it disruptive to the work environment? If he was simply questioning the pension fund investment, he could have made a choice to not invest, no? Or to simply leave his job. I do not understand people who choose to remain and rock the boat. Of course, change comes from such actions, but is it always positive change? How many others in his organization have been "harmed" by this? There's really not enough information presented here to know if he is justified or not.
While this decision bodes well for, say, vaccine choice proponents of which I am one, it also confuses everything.
We are currently expected to believe science above all else, as if science itself is a sort of god. I am not a religious person, but I see many similarities in thought and actions between those who base their decisions on scientific pronouncements and those who base decisions on the purported words of their chosen gods. Fanatics can come from all belief systems.
I'm for far fewer laws in all things. I am for far less reliance on scientific pronouncements, which have often led to laws that harm us little folk. I'm for leaving a job if you do not believe in the organization's actions or purpose, and opposed to causing a stink over minutiae, which I suspect this to be. I'm for all of us getting a grip, and for the law staying out of my personal decisions.