A London hospital trust has apologized for the distress caused by offensive posters claiming “Zionism is Poison” which scared Jewish patients and made them feel the hospital was unsafe.
The University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH Trust) has assured UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) that the posters have been removed, and any similar posters will also be taken down immediately, and that disciplinary action will be taken against the perpetrators if they are found. Staff have been reminded not to display political messages and security staff have been told to remain alert.
UKLFI was contacted by a patient, undergoing major tests at the hospital, who saw many of the posters and felt “vulnerable and scared “in a hospital that had such posters on its walls. She told UKLFI that she was grateful that no one knew she is Jewish. She felt “angry, distressed and upset” about the posters. She said ““I’m an outpatient but g-d forbid in other circumstances to feel so vulnerable already and be surrounded by hostility would be so scary. I shouldn’t have to remove my Star of David necklace to go to a hospital visit”.
The poster read:
“Israel is starving and killing Palestinians in Gaza.
Children are being slaughtered beyond measure.
We have a voice, they don’t.
We are the generation that can influence the system & government.
Please do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Do not let the mainstream media influence you. It is poison. Zionism is Poison.
People are being killed, just to show the world what is happening, see for yourself:
@eye.on.palestine
@lowkeyonline @Wearethepeace
@hossam_shbat @anasjamal44
If you can’t lift the injustice, at least tell everyone about it.
Free Palestine.
End Zionism.”
(One of the Instagram accounts promoted by the poster was that of Anas Al-Sharif, the target of a recent strike by the IDF which identified him as the leader of a rocket-launching squad in Hamas’s Nukhba force.)
David Probert, the Chief Executive of UCLH Trust told UKLFI: “Firstly, I would
like to apologise on behalf of UCLH for the distress and upset caused by these posters. At UCLH, we value diversity and inclusivity, and we are committed to providing a fair and non-discriminatory service to all individuals, regardless of background.
Following receipt of your letter, I promptly made internal enquiries and was informed that the posters were initially noticed last week. This matter was immediately treated as an incident, and all the posters were removed without delay. Senior members of staff conducted a walk-around to ensure no further posters remained. Additionally, the department’s newsletter addressed the incident, reminding staff of the Trust’s policy against displaying political messages and encouraging vigilance in identifying and removing any similar materials. Security personnel have also been instructed to remain alert.”
Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI commented: “UCLH is a major London hospital, frequented by people from all of London’s diverse communities, but it’s particularly close to major north London Jewish communities. Irrespective of their background, any person must feel comfortable and safe in a hospital setting. We welcome UCLH’s prompt, proactive and constructive engagement with this issue. UCLH’s actions will help preserve dignity, equality, neutrality and respect within NHS spaces, particularly for Jewish patients seeking medical care”.
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