NHS staff told to stop wearing uniforms at pro-Palestinian demonstrations

[Twiglets1]

Article in The Telegraph yesterday (behind paywall):

NHS staff will be told to stop wearing their work uniforms on marches and displaying pro-Palestinian badges in the workplace as part of a crackdown on anti-Semitism in the health service.

Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, revealed the plans as he vowed to snuff out “the appalling experiences of anti-Semitism affecting Jewish staff and patients” in the NHS.

The Health Secretary has encouraged trusts to roll out wider anti-Semitism training in the workplace. Such training has already been provided to some NHS organisations by the Anti-Semitism Policy Trust.

Following concerns over anti-Semitic activities in medical schools, Mr Streeting has said they should be adhering to wider university sector guidance on stamping out such behaviour.

In December, he vowed in The Telegraph to have medics struck off the medical register if they brought “racist or extreme views” about the Gaza conflict into the workplace.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Actions speak louder than words, which is why we are working with the NHS to put concrete measures in place to stamp out discrimination and protect Jewish staff and patients.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/10/nhs-streeting-staff-uniforms-protests/

This sort of comment is exactly why the NHS should not be linked to one side or the other in a war, and why it is becoming a disciplinary offence to wear an NHS uniform on demonstrations.

Genocide not war.

Again this comment shows why the issue is highly controversial. Outside of work people can express strong opinions but not while they are representing an employer that wants to appear neutral like the NHS.

If there is a genocide why are the U.S. and Israelis building massive distribution centres? Why are air strikes intelligence lead against Hamas operatives and not carpet bombing? Why are there are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living beside Jews in Jerusalem?

The weaponisation of the work genocide against a people who historically have suffered the worst genocide in modern history is actually quite offensive. Ues, there are civilian casualties and pockets of hunger in Gaza as Hamas uses aid for its funding but this does no constitute proven genocide at all.

Hamas fired rockets from near a hospital can I ask what Israel is meant to do? Let rockets land on its people as striking back is 'genocide'? Every war is not a genocide and it has a specific meaning with an extremely high bar hence why reputable mainstream media such as the BBC do not use this term. The reasons are simple , it is unproven, inaccurate, and importantly acts to conflate Israel with Jews all over the world with an act that will cause increased anti semitism world wide which I am sure Hamas would love.

The base wearers in the NHS do not include those that purely empathetic reasons for displaying the badge but also want to show support for a people in an asymmetric conflict whose desire is the abolition of Israel with the expulsion of worse of Jews. The Hamas manifesto is at least as bad as Mein Kampf. The problem is you obviously can't tell the difference or discern the motivation of the wearer. If the motivation is the latter reason can not people simply see how the Palestinian flag could cause offence especially towards Jews or people with relatives in Isra so who have October 7th and on going rocket attacks?

if the badge wearers truly had empathy and were professional they would think deeply about the impression these badges give to the most important people in the NhS, the patients and simply not wear them. I am sure all these Palesinian supporters in the current climate would probably get their bosses to do something of someone wore an Israeli state flag on their lapel (not that Jews probably would as most are quite rightly afraid) especially if there was a relatively high Muslim patient population.

it is quite simple why the badges are banned in the NHSq and NH S workers should not wear uniforms at maeches.

let's all over the rules; they are there for good reason.

Just

NHS staff not allowed to wear uniform in public and if course they are not allowed to wear badges it is common sense

For good reason

Although NHS are unusual if they have changing rooms

As I said badges etc should be kept out but I I can empathize with any health care workers aiming to raise these issues in a respectable way.
72 hours trying to save a man's life due to the lack of medical equipment because of Israel's blockade . They are amazing.

www.thejournal.ie/gaza-hospital-forced-to-manually-pump-oxygen-6705011-May2025/

The ICJ rules a plausible case of genocide a year ago

Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant are wanted by the ICC

Amnesty International have said it, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, B'Selem etc

If you don't want to call it genocide call it massacre

Yes it is indiscriminate killing, and they've no regard for the hostages. This is all documented.

I think you should look at the Likud Party manifesto in the first instance.

Re BBC more than 100 whistle lowers have called out its bias: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bbc-israel-gaza-letter-tim-davie-bias-palestine-b2636737.html

Again so judgemental assuming what Muslims or Palestinians would do.

On the way to yesterday's protest I saw many Jews, the most heartwarming encounter was with a Jewish man on the tube with a sign saying that he was openly Jewish calling for an end to the genocide and freedom for Palestinians. And we just connected over a shared concern for humanity. Many Jews were out with signs stating they are descendants of holocaust survivors and what Israel is doing is not in their name.

The interim ICJ ruling was that the Palestinians had plausible rights to be be protected from genocide NOT that there was a plausible case of genocide.

FACTS MATTER!

Evidence for indiscriminate killing of Palestinians?

Does saying that Israel have no regard for their hostages negate Palestinian civilians taking the hostages, including babies, children and the elderly, at all in your view?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g9g63jl17o.amp

I am sure there are those that fervently want peace including Jews but the Palestinian colours are not a call for peace. It is direct affiliation to one side in an armed conflict. Hamas have a chance for peace by simply laying down arms and not attacking Israelis.

I bet a lot of those questioned about the use of the Palestinian flag would distance themselves from the PLOq or any Palestinian leader that wasn't an outright threat to Israel as some (maybe not all) are supporters of 'righteous ' resistance and the demands of Palestinians for the obliteration of Israel.

It is simply intimidating for patients to be faced with this flag when at their most vulnerable. The NHS is a politically neutral body and for good reason.

One thing that does occur to me working in a diverse work place is that a conversation about the rights and wrongs of this conflict could lead to deal division amongst team members which could feed into a lack of good team working to the detriment of patients. Yet another reason for no flag.

Your last point is something that I have experienced. I used to work in a diverse workplace and after the Manchester Arena bombing (perpetrated by an Islamist extremist & assisted by his brother) no one mentioned it in the staff room. It was all over the media at the time but no one openly discussed it, though I did with a couple of colleagues outside work. The feeling was that if we (as white mainly atheist members of staff) raised the subject, it could lead to upset with our Muslim colleagues potentially feeling we were attacking their religion. Which obviously would not have been our intention.

In a diverse workforce you have to be sensitive to the fact your colleagues can be upset by your views which as you say, is another reason to steer away from taking a stance about this highly contentious conflict if you work in the highly diverse NHS.

"At least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention," the judges said.

You can argue over wording but the fact is that the situation is dire and Israel has not taken the steps to protect civilians that it was supposed to.

Amnesty International concluded genocide and talks about the indiscriminate killing:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/

And this from an NHS doctor who talks about sniper shots to the head of children:
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24720292.surgeon-breaks-describing-idf-drones-shooting-children-gaza/

Palestinian civilians did not take hostages. And no I don't belive that Israel having no regard for hostages negates Palestinians taking hostages. But Palestinian civilians didn't take any hostages.

Gazan civilians took hostages on 7/10 and sold them on to armed groups, hostages were held in civilian homes and UNWRA buildings, Gazan civilians looted kibbutzim and cars at the nova site, when they found people hiding they called the armed men over or lynched them themselves.
My comments are based on witness and ex- hostage testimony.

I don't write this to try and change your position, that's your privilege, I write this to give a more complete picture of a horrendous situation.

It’s shocking but not surprising that @UsernamesAreTaken would make that assertion doesn’t it, despite numerous reports to the contrary including by the UN, UK Parliament and the OHCHR. Just shows how some posters check their facts!

The NHS doctor did not personally witness anything he alleges in terms of snipers targeting children. He is repeating what he was told with no actual evidence. It is totally in Hamas/the Palestinians interests to claim the IDF aka Jews, are evil monsters. It’s the old blood libel.

Where is your evidence for Gazan civilians taking hostages?

I wouldn't take anything out of Israel seriously, given its trying to ethnically cleanse Palestine, was built on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and collaborated with the nazis in creating it.

Even if that NHS surgeon didn't personally eyewitness, many did.

What's most shocking here is that there is blind support (by parents supposedly given that this is Mumsnet) of a government that behaves worse than a proscribed terrorist organisation.

The reason I highlight what I do is because when you dehumanise people it becomes much easier to eliminate them.

Im really sick on here with posters claiming everyone is anti jews, its really really beyond frustrating. Its almost like some posters actually want people to be antisemitic, rather than accept people can just be horrified at what Israel are doing.

Hamas said so themselves………..,

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/11/3/what-do-we-know-about-the-israeli-captives-held-by-hamas

What is most shocking to me is the blind support and belief in Palestinian civilians who knowingly elected a terrorist organisation with a horrifically racist and evil mandate to kill Jews and destroy their neighbours and the world’s only Jewish State, and who also participated in and celebrated one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks which included the rape, kidnapping and cold blooded murder, with their bare hands, of innocent Israeli and foreign citizens, including babies, children and the elderly.

How exactly did the Jewish people collaborate with the Nazis in creating Israel?

Are those the same Nazis who had been ethnically cleansing and committing genocide against the Jews just beforehand?

https://fathomjournal.org/hitler-and-the-nazis-anti-zionism-2/

Are you not also horrified that Hamas has STILL not surrendered, 58 hostages are STILL being held in Gaza, and NO neighbouring countries have offered a passage to safety for Gazan refugees?

That is really sick IMO.

Lol so now you believe what Hamas says. No context on what or why those civilians were doing what they were? Then it says citizens and factions. Who made them? Have you ever thought beyond your privilege to see what it must be like to live under occupation and when you resist you are shot down? Do you know what day to day life is like under occupation before you jump to conclusions?

And just like I won't assume absolutely every Israeli is deranged and calling for ethnic cleansing like their leaders in the knesset, even though many interviews woth ordinary israelis show their views, I will not judge a whole population by the actions of a few.

And have you thought why people voted for Hamas? Did they have a choice? There is no mention of killing Jews in their mandate, it's against occupation, so people were not voting for a party to kill jews. Half the population is children. These people have grown up in occupation. Israel itself has supported Hamas when it suited it.

I recommend you read The Other Side of Israel by Susan Nathan. She is a British Jewish lady who migrated to Israel and then decided to see for herself what it was like to live with Palestinians. She refused to other them. It's a fascinating and eye opening account.

Yes the Oct 7th attacks were horrific. What drives people to do that? A lot of the rape and beheaded babies claims were proved false. Absolutely no innocent Israeli should be killed, and my beleif is 1 person kiled is 1 person too many.

I don't see you have any empathy for tens of thousands of children and innocent Palestinians killed, mutilated, trapped under rubble.

As for zionist / nazi collab, John Newsinger in his book 'The Blood Never Dried' - a peoples history of the British empire explains this, and how they collaborated with the SS finding a shared interest in the eviction of Jews from Germany. We honestly have a terrible history. But don't seem to learn from it.

This is a really fair response.

It's not saying you can't participate in protests. It's saying you shouldn't go in uniform because that damages patient/HCP trust and relationships by potentially intimidating another group.

I hope that unions take note...