A British-Jordanian doctor who was suspended from working at an NHS Trust after criticising Israel online says he was not shown the evidence against him, a tribunal has heard.
Suspension and Tribunal Details
Dr Nadeem Crowe, an A&E doctor with Palestinian family and friends, alleges discrimination and harassment by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and its responsible officer, Dr Jane Hawdon. He was suspended mid-shift for X posts “comparing Israel to the Nazis” and expressing support for Palestinians on social media.
Dr Crowe temporarily lost his bank status at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London, in August 2024 after a colleague complained about his online activities. A central London employment tribunal heard on Thursday that Dr Crowe was “not taken to” any examples of his social media posts during an informal meeting with Dr Hawdon after being informed of his exclusion from work.
Meeting Without Evidence
Dr Hawdon told the court she believed she had “outlined the evidence” but admitted she had not shown Dr Crowe any examples. Cross-examining Dr Hawdon, Tom Gillie asked: “You didn’t identify any of the posts in the meeting of August 15?” “I didn’t take him to any posts,” replied Dr Hawdon. Mr Gillie added: “And you didn’t read or quote any posts did you?” “I didn’t, no,” said Dr Hawdon.
Part of the NHS employment regulations for meetings of this type expect the administrator to “outline the evidence leading to the concern,” the court heard.
Timeline of Events
Mr Crowe told the tribunal on Wednesday that his suspension came 63 minutes after the complaint about him was lodged on August 14. Describing the next day’s meeting with Dr Hawdon, he said: “I was very offended and shaken and the ambush nature of it made me feel very vulnerable.” His suspension was lifted on August 16 after he deleted the posts, and he returned to work the next day.
However, he alleged in his written statement that Dr Hawdon “put implicit pressure on him to delete his social media posts or face a full investigation.” In her written statement, Dr Hawdon said her “primary concern was the Claimant’s welfare” and whether he should be working.
Welfare Concerns Questioned
Taken through her emails on Thursday, Dr Hawdon admitted that there was “no evidence” in those messages that she was considering Dr Crowe’s welfare. “Do you accept, Dr Hawdon, that if your primary concern had been the claimant’s welfare, your intervention did not preserve it?” asked Mr Gillie. Dr Hawdon replied: “I cannot comment, Judge, without the opportunity to study the entire medical record, and neither do I have the expertise to do so.”
Doctor's Beliefs and Posts
Mr Crowe said his beliefs in anti-Zionism were a “very personal thing” and related to the “meaning of life and kindness.” He added that his “biggest frustration” is that people believe the conflict began on October 7. Dr Crowe said: “October 7 is horrific, nobody should be killed, nobody should be dying, but there were thousands, hundreds of thousands of deaths of Palestinians under Israel on October 6, 5th, 4th and every day before that.”
He is alleged to have replied to an account of an Israeli politician on X calling Hamas “freedom fighters,” though he claims that was in relation to “Gazan civilians.” The doctor also called the IDF a “baby killing, rapist militia” and said he used the word Israel as a synonym for “depraved evil.” Another of his X posts flagged to the trust said: “A pig in heals is still a pig – in this case the pig is the IDF.” He accepted the term “pig” was offensive to Jewish people but said he used it in reference to the IDF, not Jews.
Aftermath and Legal Funding
Dr Crowe has said he felt unable to return to work at the hospital as he stopped trusting his colleagues and did not know who complained about him. The doctor stopped working shifts because of sickness and has not returned since August 25 2024, the respondents have said. Dr Crowe has raised £79,000 on a Crowdjustice to help fund his legal battle. The tribunal continues.
