CBC
Fri, December 22, 2023
Dr. Yipeng Ge, who was suspended from his role as a medical resident at the University of Ottawa last month over pro-Palestinian posts related to the Israel-Hamas war, has now resigned from the Canadian Medical Association's board of directors.
A doctor and medical resident at the University of Ottawa who posted pro-Palestinian messages on social media, which were also critical of Israel, has resigned from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) board of directors.
Dr. Yipeng Ge first faced backlash in November when a colleague shared his posts related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The posts supported the Palestinian cause and criticized what Ge called "apartheid upon Palestinian people" and "settler colonialism."
On Friday, Ge published a resignation letter accusing CMA leadership of "bullying, harassment, and intimidation" related to his posts.
"I have substantial concerns related to the actions of the CMA leadership that has created an unsafe environment for me on the board as the sole resident board director," Ge wrote in his letter.
"I believe what I have experienced is a failure of the CMA leadership to meaningfully reflect on the role that anti-Palestinian racism has played in its response to my social media posts."
CMA responds
In its own statement issued Friday in response to Ge, the CMA said he notified the board of his departure on Thursday, four months after he was appointed.
CMA said a "restorative process to repair relationships" was agreed upon in the wake of Ge's pro-Palestinian posts, and the organization accepts his decision to step down "following this process."
"The CMA remains firmly committed to denouncing and confronting antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia, in all their forms," the statement read.
CMA declined to respond directly to Ge's allegations of bullying and intimidation.
Colleague drew attention to posts
Last month, Ge said he was suspended from his residency with the University of Ottawa's public health and preventative medicine program related to the same posts. The school told CBC there had been complaints about an alleged breach of professional standards by a medical resident.
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, had drawn attention to a number of Ge's posts on his Substack page, which Freedhoff shared on social media.
Freedhoff also drafted an article that focused on Ge's posts and called them an example of "antisemitism."
Among Ge's posts were slogans including "Ottawa standing with Gaza" and a photo of a sign stating "from the rivers to the sea Palestine will be free," which Freedhoff called a "genocidal" chant that implies the elimination of the State of Israel.
Despite the suspension, Ge has continued to receive his full salary and benefits, the university said.
In June 2020, the University of Ottawa featured Ge in an article that celebrated him for turning "passion into action for health and social equity."
No comments:
Post a Comment