A Jewish doctor was booed at the British Medical Association’s annual meeting just hours after religious leaders warned he risked becoming a “vehicle for Jew-hatred”.
Members shouted “shame” when the doctor told delegates she was a “practicing Jew” during a heated debate related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a letter published on the eve of the conference, the Jewish Medical Association expressed concern about the number of motions delegates had submitted calling for action against Israel or accusing it of war crimes.
He said the atmosphere ahead of the meeting “already feels very different and noticeably hostile” compared to previous years, when the focus was typically on the NHS, staff, patients and union bureaucracy.
The JMA warned that Jewish attendees should “expect to encounter a mix of overt anti-Semitism, intimidation, harassment and flag activism,” which “fills them with concern.”
Dr Joanna Sutton-Klein, an emergency doctor in Manchester, was interrupted by at least two delegates when she introduced a late motion drawing attention to “undemocratic” attempts to remove motions related to the war between Israel and Hamas from the agenda. The conference.
Around 30 motions presented for debate were related to the Middle East conflict, equivalent to almost one in ten of the total proposals.
However, the BMA said it was unlikely that many would be singled out because, taken together, they “risk being perceived as discriminatory, more specifically, anti-Semitic”.
The words Israel or Israeli appear 75 times in motions published before the conference.
Organizers said some raised a “possibility of breaching BMA values” and a “possible legal risk” if they were discussed with a view to becoming union policy.
They include calls for the BMA to pressure the government to stop supplying arms to Israel and to repeat claims that “Israel commits systematic apartheid”, “Israel’s acts in Gaza could amount to genocide” and Israel “continues to occupy and oppress to the Palestinian people and using disproportionate and indiscriminate force against civilians.
Four motions tabled by the London Regional Council call on the BMA to boycott Israeli medical journals, conferences and academic/business exchanges, claiming the country is violating human rights.
The JMA letter, seen by the Mail, said its members are “deeply concerned that the atmosphere of the meeting could become a vehicle for discrimination and hatred of Jews.”
He adds: “Many motions include accusations of genocide committed by Jews in ‘an apartheid state’, whether they are labeled ‘Zionists’, ‘Israelis’ or simply ‘Jews’.”
Dr Joanna Sutton-Klein, an emergency doctor in Manchester, was interrupted by at least two delegates when she introduced a late motion drawing attention to “undemocratic” attempts to remove motions related to the war between Israel and Hamas from the agenda. The conference.
Emma Runswick, vice-president of the BMA council, told delegates: “I want to say that it is completely unacceptable to shout ‘shame’ at someone who has just said she is a practicing Jewish woman.”
She said motions should be selected for debate in a democratic and transparent manner, adding: “One of the justifications for silencing these motions was that they could be perceived as anti-Semitic, which is why I want to be here today as a practicing Jew.” to say that there is nothing Jewish about trying to eliminate motions with which you do not agree.’
Emma Runswick, vice-president of the BMA council, told delegates: “I want to say that it is completely unacceptable to shout ‘shame’ at someone who has just said they are a practicing Jewish woman – there is absolutely no place for that.” in this Association.
“We reserve our shame for the governments and employers who mistreat us and our patients.”
Dr Patel added: ‘I will not allow that behaviour. I warned you at the beginning that if that behavior is heard again, I will find you alone, so stop.’
He later told delegates that the comments would not be tolerated and told the heckler: “come get me or I’ll come get you.”
A spokesperson for the Community Support Trust said: ‘The rise in incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the medical profession has been particularly worrying, reflecting a general rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK since 7 October.
“It is particularly alarming to see incidents of this type occurring as in this part of society we would expect everyone to behave with the utmost professionalism.”
Earlier this month, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said NHS staff would be banned from displaying Palestinian flags at work if the Conservatives win the July 4 general election.
A BMA spokesperson said: “The BMA takes discriminatory, racist or offensive behavior in any form very seriously.”
‘In this case, one or two members decided to interrupt the speech of a Jewish doctor who was speaking in defense of the Palestinian community in Gaza.
‘This action was initiated immediately and we are now investigating.
‘We have not been contacted directly by the Jewish Medical Association regarding the specific points raised in their letter, but we are still deeply sorry to learn of the contents and will contact them to discuss this further.
‘The BMA firmly opposes all forms of discrimination and prejudice and we believe in the dignity and respect of all people, regardless of their personal characteristics.
“We are committed, as a union and professional association, to taking an anti-racist approach in all aspects of our work.”