UK: NHS staff face ban on wearing pro-Palestine symbols, uniforms at protests

NHS workers will soon be banned from wearing their uniforms to pro-Palestine demonstrations and from displaying pro-Palestinian symbols, such as badges, while at work, according to new guidance shared by the UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

In a letter, parts of which were shared with The New Arab by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Streeting said NHS staff must not wear their uniforms at political protests, except those opposing government health policy.

Badges, he added, should be limited to one or two that are strictly related to professional qualifications or memberships.

Reacting to the move, consultant neurologist Dr Rehiana Ali told The New Arab that the policy was "not surprising". Dr Ali, who was previously suspended over pro-Palestinian posts on social media, described the latest guidance as politically driven.

"There is huge public support for Palestine. The idea that you can ban that solidarity because certain lobby groups insist upon it is an outrage in any democracy," she said.

Dr Ali also questioned the consistency of the policy, arguing that if Palestinian symbols were prohibited, the same should apply to others, such as the yellow ribbon worn in support of Israeli captives.

She believes the ban stems from an increasingly expansive definition of "antisemitism", which she argues has often been used as a pretext to stifle pro-Palestine support.

The DHSC told The New Arab that the letter reiterates existing NHS England policy, which already prohibits staff from wearing uniforms during political demonstrations unrelated to health policy.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously urged professional regulators to consider striking off doctors who express what he has called "extremist views" about Gaza in the workplace.

A DHSC spokesperson told The New Arab that the department was working closely with NHS leadership to "put concrete measures in place to stamp out discrimination and protect Jewish staff and patients".

The revised guidance follows months of lobbying by several groups, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has recently punished its members for opposing Israel's war on Gaza.

It comes after hundreds of British medical staff, including NHS workers, held several protests and solidarity actions in response to Israeli attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in Gaza.

 Israel's attacks in Gaza have killed over 700 healthcare workers and injured more than 900 others. Over 460 health care facilities, including hospitals and clinics, have been directly attacked, and more than 110 ambulances have been damaged or destroyed.