Protesters Distribute Pamphlets at Royal Free Hospital Challenging NHS Review

Pro-Palestinian activists handed out printed materials at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, on Saturday, November 7, to contest the findings of an independent review into antisemitism within the National Health Service. The group, Global Health for Palestine, targeted the report led by Lord John Mann, urging medical staff and the public to challenge its conclusions.

The pamphlets argued that the review's recommended training for health workers effectively promotes support for Israel. The campaigners rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. They accused the review of being racist, citing a statement by Mann that allegedly positioned antisemitism as more severe than other forms of racism.

The leaflets listed specific items that the review would supposedly ban NHS staff from displaying. These included badges, jewelry, socks, lanyards, scarves, phone covers, and screensavers featuring Palestinian colors or symbols. The materials also claimed that criticizing Israel or Zionism, including using the terms apartheid or genocide, would be prohibited in the workplace. These descriptions were claims made by the group rather than confirmed findings from the review.

Global Health for Palestine stated that the NHS should treat all forms of racism as equally harmful. The group alleged that hundreds of employees had faced threats, bullying, or victimization for showing solidarity with Palestine. The pamphlet advised workers to raise the issue with their trade unions and asked the public to submit complaints to local hospitals and sign a petition.

Lord Mann responded to the distribution of the materials by stating that the NHS was not a venue for extremist political campaigning. He emphasized that patients and staff are entitled to access health services without hostility. Mann warned that such materials could discourage people from using the NHS and stressed that Jewish people must not face barriers to receiving care.

A spokesman for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said the organization aims to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all patients, visitors, and employees. The trust prohibited campaigning on its premises. Once staff discovered the leaflets were being distributed, security personnel asked the demonstrators to leave. The leaflets were subsequently destroyed.

Dr. Huda Mahmoud, chairman of Global Health for Palestine, described a ban on Palestinian symbols as cultural erasure. She questioned the impact of delegitimizing expressions tied to identity and culture, characterizing Palestinian culture as enduring and continuing to seek survival through a genocide.