British surgeon launches legal challenge over NHS use of IHRA definition Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 07/14/2026 - 11:35 A doctor who claims he was suspended over a pro-Palestine speech argues that the NHS’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism has led to unlawful restrictions on political expression Consultant Ranjeet Brar says he was suspended from King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust following a speech he gave on 6 April 2026 (Supplied) Off A British surgeon is taking the National Health Service (NHS) and the UK government to court, arguing that the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism has been used to restrict political speech and silence pro-Palestine expression. Ranjeet Brar was suspended from his role at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust following a speech he gave on 6 April 2026 outside the US embassy in London commemorating the victims of a reported US-Israeli attack on a school in the Iranian city of Minab. In his speech, Brar said that Israel, which he described as a “genocidal settler colonial entity”, “has no right to existence” and “needs to be wiped off the map and replaced with the word ‘Palestine’”.
Footage of the speech was later circulated online by right-wing and pro-Israel social media accounts, including GB News and Julie Hartley-Brewer. Brar said the Trust sent him a letter on 8 April informing him of his immediate suspension pending investigation, citing complainants’ concerns that his speech could be interpreted as antisemitic. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); On 9 April, Brar was arrested in relation to the comments but released without charge.
According to Brar, the letter stated that his exclusion was not a disciplinary measure but a “neutral act”. He said the Trust also referenced a letter sent by UK Lawyers for Israel and an anonymised complaint from a patient dated 8 April. “The hospital has a legal duty to oppose genocide,” Brar told Middle East Eye.
“All the pressure on me is illegal, and by imposing that pressure, the hospital is aligning itself with genocide and imposing anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim racism and political censorship.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The hospital did not initiate formal disciplinary proceedings against Brar but warned that it may do so if further co…
Summary from source