In a rising tide of opposition, hundreds of health professionals have urged the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) to halt the suspension of doctors who have been imprisoned for non-violent climate protests. This request comes as Patrick Hart, a Bristol-based general practitioner (GP), faces trial for allegedly causing criminal damage during a climate protest. If convicted, Hart would be the first practicing GP in the UK to be jailed for climate-related activism.

The GMC’s recent disciplinary measures against medical professionals involved in climate protests have sparked intense debate. Two retired GPs faced GMC-convened tribunals this year and were suspended after participating in non-violent protests associated with Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain in 2021 and 2022. While the GMC did not raise concerns about the clinical competence of these doctors, it cited potential harm to public confidence in the medical profession as justification for the suspensions.

The British Medical Association (BMA) expressed frustration with the GMC’s stance, describing one suspension as “malicious” and cautioning that the regulatory body was setting a “dangerous precedent.” Many in the medical community and notable public figures, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and human rights advocate Peter Tatchell, voiced their dissent. Last week, 464 GPs, hospital doctors, consultants, nurses, and public figures signed an open letter delivered to the GMC’s London office, demanding a reassessment of these punitive actions. The letter argued that healthcare professionals have resorted to civil disobedience “to effect change” in response to the grave threat of climate change, which they say endangers billions of lives.

The letter further urged the GMC to reverse the suspensions and stand in solidarity with those who have “sacrificed their freedom” to demand immediate, drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, which they deem essential to averting a global climate catastrophe.

Dr. Patrick Hart, facing trial next week for allegedly damaging fuel pump displays during an August 2022 protest at an M25 service station, could also be subject to a GMC tribunal in 2024. If found guilty and subsequently jailed, Hart would become the first active GP in the UK to be imprisoned for a non-violent protest action. The UN’s special rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, has already raised Hart’s situation with the UK government, questioning the perceived persecution and punishment of Hart for his peaceful activism.

Forst noted that the GMC’s disciplinary actions against Hart appear to represent “double punishment” for his environmental advocacy. He drew a parallel between Hart’s case and the struggles of activists in other historical movements, including women’s rights, anti-apartheid efforts, and civil rights for LGBTQ+ and Black communities. Despite Forst’s concerns, Mary Creagh, the UK minister for nature, declined to investigate further, asserting that there is “no right to civil disobedience” and affirming that the UK allows “legitimate environmental protest and public engagement.”

Thus far, disciplinary actions by the GMC have primarily impacted retired doctors. Diana Warner, a retired GP who had served for 35 years, lost her medical license for three months after being jailed for violating anti-protest injunctions twice on the M25 in 2021 and 2022. A GMC barrister described Warner’s conduct as “deplorable,” arguing that it had brought disrepute upon the medical profession. Similarly, retired Birmingham GP Sarah Benn faced a five-month suspension following her 32-day jail sentence for breaching an injunction by protesting on private property at Kingsbury Oil Terminal in 2022. Benn is currently appealing her suspension with the support of the BMA.

The GMC clarified its position, stating that any custodial sentence resulting from a criminal conviction requires the case to be referred to a medical practitioners’ tribunal by law, leaving no room for discretionary judgment. While the GMC acknowledged the right of doctors to hold personal views on climate change and other social issues, it emphasized that when doctors break the law during protests, their actions—not their motivations—would be under scrutiny.

The GMC spokesperson elaborated, “Patients and the public have a high degree of trust in doctors, that trust can be put at risk when doctors fail to comply with the law.”

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)