Dr. Nadeem Crowe, a seasoned NHS doctor with 15 years of experience in emergency and acute medicine, has been suspended from his role at the Royal Free Hospital in northwest London after posting on social media about the Gaza conflict. Now, he is fighting back through an employment tribunal, determined to prove that his suspension was an act of discrimination and an attempt to silence political dissent.
“I’ve been a doctor in emergency and acute medicine for the NHS, with about 90% of that time spent working at the Royal Free Hospital,” Dr. Crowe said. “I’ve served one of the biggest Jewish communities in London, if not in the country. I am of British-Jordanian heritage—90% of my family live in Jordan. Anybody from that part of the world has a strong ingrained passion for the rights of the Palestinian people.”
A Shocking Suspension
On August 14, 2023, Dr. Crowe arrived at work as usual, conducting his ward round. Then, he received an email from the hospital’s responsible officer that would upend his career.
“Some concerns have been raised and you are suspended with immediate effect,” the email read. But crucially, Dr. Crowe was given no details about the nature of the complaint. “There was no explanation as to what the concerns were, why I’d been suspended. I had to go around the department asking other colleagues, consultants, if they knew what I had done wrong,” he recalled.
Fearing he had unknowingly made a medical error, he immediately contacted the General Medical Council (GMC). “As any doctor in that situation would, my first thought was: ‘Have I brought harm to a patient?’ I called the GMC to ask if they had any complaints about me. They had nothing on file.”
The next day, Dr. Crowe was called into what was described as an informal meeting with the responsible officer and the head of HR. “It did not feel informal at all,” he said. It was in this meeting that he was told the suspension was due to an anonymous complaint about his Twitter posts on Gaza, which had allegedly been “potentially upsetting.”
A Justified Outrage: The Targeting of Medical Workers in Gaza
Dr. Crowe’s social media posts were not just expressions of political opinion; they were a direct response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where medical professionals like himself have been systematically targeted by Israeli forces.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military assault on Gaza has not only devastated the region’s civilian population but has also waged an explicit war on healthcare itself. Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations, and human rights groups confirm that Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have destroyed hospitals, killed doctors, and arrested medical personnel.
At least 500 medical workers have been killed, with 178 direct attacks on hospitals. By December 2024, 136 hospitals had been targeted, rendering Gaza’s healthcare system virtually nonfunctional. Foreign doctors who have volunteered in Gaza have testified to war crimes—Israeli snipers executing civilians, including children, and systematic torture of Palestinian doctors in Israeli detention centers.
American surgeon Dr. Mark Perlmutter stated he had personally treated multiple children shot in the head by Israeli snipers. British trauma surgeon Dr. Nick Maynard described treating injuries so severe that they surpassed anything he had seen in 30 years of experience. “The clinical injuries we have seen, particularly on children and women, are appalling,” he said.
For Dr. Crowe, who has dedicated his career to emergency medicine, this attack on his profession was personal. “As doctors, we are bound by an ethical duty to protect life, regardless of nationality, religion, or politics,” he explained. “How can I remain silent when my colleagues in Gaza are being executed? When hospitals are bombed with patients inside? This is not about politics—this is about humanity.”
A Double Standard in Free Speech
Dr. Crowe pointed out that during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NHS staff openly displayed Ukrainian flags, wore pins, and posted support for Ukraine without consequence. “Nobody was calling us into offices saying, ‘You might upset Russian patients,'” he noted.
Yet, in his case, one anonymous complaint about posts on Palestine led to immediate suspension. “I wasn’t allowed to see the posts. I couldn’t confirm that it was my account. I wasn’t privy to the specifics of the complaint. Yet, I was threatened with a GMC investigation or dismissal.”
Despite being told he was under investigation, he was strongly encouraged to delete his posts. “That was odd,” he recalled. “If they were going to investigate me, why would they want me to delete the evidence?”
Reluctantly, he deleted the posts while awaiting more information. “Then, suddenly, the hospital reversed course and said I could return to work. But by that point, I felt an utter sense of resentment—toward an unknown colleague who might have reported me, and toward the lack of respect for my years of service.”
The Role of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI)
Dr. Crowe believes that lobbying groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) may have played a role in his suspension. UKLFI is known for pressuring institutions, including universities and public bodies, to suppress pro-Palestine voices.
A white British colleague of Dr. Crowe’s, who also posted about Palestine, was treated very differently. “He contacted me to say that six weeks before my suspension, he was given a legal paper to sign, saying he’d delete his posts and never post about the conflict again. He was not suspended. He was not investigated. I, on the other hand, was removed from work without explanation. What does that tell you?”
The NHS and Political Pressure
Beyond the suspension itself, Dr. Crowe was disturbed by how the case was handled. “The responsible officer suggested I bring in an ‘expert on the conflict’ to advise on what was acceptable to say. I asked, ‘Are you asking me to give you a history lesson? Should we stop this meeting now and start with 1948?'”
Even more troubling, he noted that the same hospital had previously asked him to support a fellow doctor who had fled Gaza and endured the 60-day siege of Al-Shifa Hospital. “They wanted me to support him because of my cultural understanding and empathy. Yet now, they were telling me I wasn’t allowed to have an opinion on the same issue?”
Dr. Crowe believes the NHS is being influenced by external pressures. “We have these Israeli lobbies within the United Kingdom who think all they need to do is say that one of us has had an opinion and that means we are unsafe to practice medicine. It’s a disgrace.”
Taking the Fight to Court
In response, Dr. Crowe has taken legal action against the Royal Free Hospital. “I filed a formal grievance on September 1st. They never answered it. I then took them to an employment tribunal, with my preliminary hearing in April. I believe I was discriminated against as a British Arab doctor. I refuse to operate at a lower moral standard to fit into the desires of the few.”
He emphasizes that his case is part of a broader trend of suppressing professionals who speak out about Palestine. “I’m not the only NHS worker facing this. Many others have been investigated or disciplined for merely voicing support for Palestinian human rights.”
Public Support Grows
Dr. Crowe is now raising funds for his legal battle through a CrowdJustice campaign. “If people want to support me, they can visit CrowdJustice and search for my name, Dr. Nadeem Crowe. Even if they pledge £1 or leave a comment, it shows the public is on our side.”
He refuses to back down. “The NHS cannot afford to lose doctors. I have more self-respect than to return to an employer that treats its staff this way. These vexatious accusations are bullying and harassment, nothing more. And I will fight them.”
You can contribute to Dr. Crowe’s legal fund here: [https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/dr-nadeem-crowe/]
