BMA suspends junior doctor who joked about gassing Jews on Twitter
A junior doctor who joked about gassing “the Jews” has been suspended from the British Medical Association (BMA).
Dr Martin Whyte, a paediatrician and deputy chair of the junior doctors’ committee, reportedly said he found videos about the Holocaust being a sham - “the holohoax” - to be “pretty convincing”.
He argued that people should boycott Israel “out of spite”, the Daily Mail reports.
The BMA’s junior doctors’ committee, on which Dr Whyte was an executive member, has been coordinating recent strikes by junior doctors, which have bedevilled the NHS and coincided with a near tripling of excess deaths, in pursuit of a 35 per cent pay rise.
Dr Whyte has now been suspended by the BMA from his executive post on the junior doctors’ committee, pending an investigation over his “totally unacceptable” remarks, the organisation said.
In response to a tweet about a synagogue shooting in 2018, Dr Whyte tweeted: “Hahaha zeig heil hahaha gas the jews hahaha just kidding but have you seen these youtube videos about the holohoax they’re pretty convincing imo [in my opinion].”
He also tweeted: “Me: It's important to represent Judaism and Jewish people fairly and respectfully in art. Also me: Jew banker goblins.”
In 2019, he argued that people should boycott Israel “out of spite”, writing: “Lifehack: promise not to boycott Israel, but do it anyway. Do it out of spite,” according to the Daily Mail.
BMA says tweets ‘totally unacceptable’
A BMA spokesperson said: “These Tweets are totally unacceptable and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms.
“The views expressed in no way reflect the values of the BMA. Dr Martin Whyte has been removed from taking part in any and all BMA business with immediate effect, and the BMA will be undertaking an external independent investigation.”
In an email to junior doctors on Friday, which was reported by the Daily Mail, the BMA said: “Dear member, we unfortunately have distressing information to share.
“Today we have discovered that a UK junior doctors’ committee officer has made deeply troubling comments online that are anti-Semitic.
“There is absolutely no place in the BMA for anti-Semitism.”
It added: “We strive to be a tolerant, diverse and progressive organisation. We want to assure members that we treat anti-Semitism, and all forms of prejudice and discrimination, with the utmost seriousness.”
