This is an HWAC analysis. Facts are drawn only from the published reports listed at the end. Our opinions are clearly marked as HWAC's view. No finding of misconduct has been made against any person named below unless we say so.
Disclosure: Dr Nadeem Crowe, whose own case appears below, is involved with HWAC and, according to Novara Media, has written a report comparing these cases. Novara also reports that HWAC itself made one of the complaints described below.
Healthcare workers who speak up for Palestinians often say they are judged by a different standard from colleagues who speak the other way. That is a serious claim, and it deserves evidence rather than slogans. So we have gathered the cases reported by Novara Media, Middle East Eye, the Guardian, the Evening Standard, Pulse and others, and set them out side by side.
Part one: clinicians who spoke up for Palestine
Dr Nadeem Crowe, A&E doctor, Royal Free. What was said, as reported: Novara reports posts including that "the genocide in Gaza was going to go down in Israel and Jewish history". Complaint: one colleague complained to the trust in August 2024 (The National). Outcome: according to his own evidence, reported by the Evening Standard, he was suspended from bank work 63 minutes after the complaint was lodged. The suspension was lifted two days later after he deleted the posts, and his solicitors say no further action was taken. His discrimination claim is before an employment tribunal, and the outcome is pending.
Dr Tamara Ali, trainee GP, Scotland. What was displayed: a small Palestinian flag in her consulting room and a Palestine pin on her scrubs (Novara). Complaint: an anonymous patient complaint described the flag as connected to "terrorism". Outcome: she says she faced disciplinary action and negative assessment feedback, and she is taking her former employer to court. NHS Scotland told Novara it could not discuss individuals' employment matters.
Dr David Patch, consultant, Royal Free. What was said, as reported: posts including "the Holocaust of Gaza is a stain on humanity" (Novara). Complaint: reported to the GMC by UK Lawyers for Israel. Outcome: called to a meeting by senior management, where he agreed to delete the posts. "I don't regret the post… I regret being bullied," he told Novara.
Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, plastic surgeon. Complaint: brought to the GMC's attention by UK Lawyers for Israel (Guardian). Outcome: a tribunal found the facts not proved in January 2026 and identified nothing antisemitic or supportive of terrorism or violence. The GMC is appealing.
Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, trainee surgeon. Complaint: several, including from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (Guardian). Outcome: an interim orders tribunal in September 2025 refused to restrict her practice, saying the complaints were not "sufficient to establish that there may be a real risk to patients". After a re-referral, a second tribunal in November 2025 suspended her for 15 months pending investigation, without making findings of fact. She denies making racist or hate speech.
Part two: clinicians whose remarks were about Palestinians or Muslims
Dr Michael Joffe, consultant neuroradiologist, Royal Free. What was said, as reported: Novara reports that he wrote in the BMJ that "the numbers of deaths of health workers would be minimal had Hamas not used hospitals and health workers as human shields", and described both Hamas and "the Palestinian people" as culpable over 7 October. Complaint: Novara reports that HWAC made a formal complaint on 2 October 2025. Outcome: no response had been received at the time Novara reported. We know of no finding against him.
Dr Martin Glasser, geriatrician, Royal Free. What was shared, as reported: Novara reports that he reposted a message on X describing the detained Gaza paediatrician Dr Hussam Abu Safiya as "a member of a terror organisation of murdering rapists". Complaint: none is reported. Outcome: Novara reported that the repost was still on his account at the time. We know of no finding against him.
Dr Cinderella Nonoo-Cohen, locum GP. What was said, as reported by Middle East Eye: in a WhatsApp group after a Muslim colleague shared a Gaza-related petition, she wrote "Typical of you Muslims to gaslight" and called the colleague "an antisemitic person". Complaint: referred to the GMC. Outcome: a tribunal found the messages "objectively" Islamophobic and suspended her for four months in April 2026. It did not uphold allegations that her conduct stemmed from hostility towards Palestinians.
What the record shows, and what it does not
Fairness requires us to say plainly what this comparison can and cannot prove. The Nonoo-Cohen case shows that the GMC and its tribunal do act against Islamophobic conduct. We cannot say from published sources what happened inside every trust or every complaint, and the two Royal Free cases in Part two may be under consideration in ways that have not been reported.
What the record does show is a difference in volume and speed. GMC figures reported by Pulse show 328 antisemitism-related complaints between 7 October 2023 and 8 March 2024, against 49 related to Islamophobia. Pro-Palestine clinicians in our sample were suspended within an hour, called into management meetings, reported to the regulator by organised campaigns, and taken through tribunal and appeal. In the cases in Part two that rely on Novara's reporting, we have found no reported employer or regulator action at all.
HWAC's view
In our view, that imbalance is not an accident of individual cases. It reflects a system in which organised complaints against pro-Palestine speech are frequent and fast, while concerns about remarks dehumanising Palestinians rely on individuals or small groups and appear to move far more slowly. We believe every healthcare worker should be held to the same standard, applied with the same speed and the same respect for freedom of expression. We call on the GMC and NHS trusts to publish how they handle complaints on both sides of this issue, so that the public can judge whether that standard is being met.
Sources
- Novara Media: NHS Doctors Face Crisis of 'Institutional Discrimination' for Speaking Out on Gaza (11 November 2025)
- Middle East Eye: UK doctor suspended for sending Islamophobic messages about Gaza to colleague (10 April 2026)
- Evening Standard: London doctor suspended by NHS for anti-Zionist posts 'not shown evidence' (19 June 2026)
- The National: British-Jordanian doctor sues NHS (16 June 2026)
- Leigh Day: Tribunal to hear NHS doctor's discrimination claim (11 June 2026)
- The Guardian: University of Glasgow rector cleared by medical watchdog (9 January 2026)
- The Guardian: NHS doctor suspended over alleged antisemitic social media posts (27 November 2025)
- Pulse: Doctors face increasing GMC referrals for Israel-Palestine comments (17 May 2024)
