The move to ban NHS staff from displaying political symbols in the workplace and wearing medical scrubs in protests has been widely condemned by politicians and healthcare workers, who say it is using fears of antisemitism to crack down on expressions of solidarity with Palestine.
Middle East Eye spoke to a number of pro-Palestine NHS workers about their experience campaigning against the genocide in Gaza and the backlash they have faced from their workplace as a result.
The Mann report was commissioned by former health secretary Wes Streeting in 2025 to investigate antisemitism in the NHS.
However, the British Medical Association (BMA) noted that, although the need to combat antisemitism and racism within the NHS is vital, some of the recommendations from the report are “deeply concerning” in how they might be implemented, particularly with regard to freedom of speech and expression.