Ontario doctor suspended, his address published after pro-Palestinian social media posts
Threats surfaced online and in a call to the hospital, prompting police investigation
An Ontario doctor has been suspended from his job, threatened and had his address shared online after he posted pro-Palestinian views on social media.
Dr. Ben Thomson, a nephrologist at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, north of Toronto, has been sharing information and opinions on his X social media account, formerly known as Twitter, since brutal attacks by militant group Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing Israeli bombing of Gaza.
On Oct. 12, Mackenzie Health posted a statement on its Facebook and X accounts saying it is "addressing social media posts from a few physicians and staff that do not reflect our views or values as an organization."
Some Facebook comments in response to this post called for Thomson to be fired. Internal emails seen by CBC News show that the doctor was handed a one-month suspension without pay the next day. But in a statement to CBC News, Mackenzie Health said that "it is false to suggest Dr. Thomson was suspended for his views," without elaborating.
The health authority's actions follow a number of complaints about the doctor's social media posts by colleagues online who disagreed with him, according to several doctors at the hospital. They also follow a threat made to the hospital on Thursday, a spokesperson for Mackenzie Health said.
The threat was made over the phone and recorded by hospital staff. A copy of this recording was shared with CBC News.
"This message is for Dr. Ben Thomson. Remove your post regarding Israel," a man's voice is heard saying in the recording. "It is disgusting, you are a disgusting human being, you do not know what you're saying, and if you do not remove it, I advise you and the rest of your staff to stay out of your office."
In addition to this threat, Thomson's home address was posted on a website where patients can rate physicians, along with further threats. These posts have since been deleted after Thomson made a request to the website for their removal, but they have prompted a police investigation and forced Thomson to leave his home on the advice of police.
Accusations on social media
The X post that garnered controversy among Thomson's colleagues and appears to have played a role in his suspension involves his reply to another X post by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs that claimed babies had been beheaded and women raped during the Hamas attack on several communities in southern Israel.
"No babies were beheaded, there have been no confirmed reports of rapes. You repeat this nonsense out of racism," Thomson wrote on Oct. 10. "In the meantime, Palestinians are experiencing genocide and war crimes and you are silent. History will judge you very badly."
Two days after his post, the White House, major media outlets and Israeli officials walked back their earlier reports of babies being beheaded at the hands of Hamas, saying these reports were unverified. Then two days after that, Israeli military teams said they found signs of rape and torture among Hamas's victims.
In response to Thomson's post, a doctor at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (whose X account is now deleted) accused him of denying the Holocaust, and another Ontario doctor criticized him publicly for denying "the trauma of the victims of these unspeakable crimes."
The post was also shared by an account called Documenting Antisemitism in Canada, which asked, "Do you trust this ghoul to provide safe patient care to Jewish patients?"
"Death of civilians is without a doubt horrible and unacceptable," Thomson wrote in response to one of his colleagues. "However, inciting genocide by dehumanizing Palestinians is also unacceptable."
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and 12,500 wounded from Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli government says more than 1,400 people were killed and about 200 taken as hostages to Gaza in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Doctor's public record with college is clean
Doctors at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital are not allowed to talk to the media without approval from their public relations team, but three who spoke to CBC News on condition of not being named said the atmosphere at the hospital is tense. They said they were all surprised by Thomson's abrupt suspension.
"I don't think Dr. Thomson was given a chance to defend himself or what, if any, due process was carried out," said one doctor who has worked with him for two years." Another said, "Doctors are being silenced for having an otherwise factual dialogue that is devoid of any hate. I find that to be very problematic."
Dr. Tarek Loubani, who works at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont., has known Thomson for more than a decade — both have worked in Gaza for periods of time, and Loubani was among 19 medics shot by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2018.
Prior to last week, he said, he had never heard any complaints against Thomson, let alone complaints about antisemitism.
"It would be so out of character because he's a person who's not connected in any way to the Israel-Palestine cause," Loubani told CBC News. "His connection is through his humanitarianism, which has led him to other parts of the world where he's run some very impressive projects, like his work in Uganda, his work obviously in Gaza and his work also with Indigenous communities in northern Canada."
Thomson's public record with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is also clean, with no complaints, allegations or disciplinary actions listed. The college said it would not answer questions about Thomson's suspension "due to confidentiality restrictions."
Heightened security
Mackenzie Health would not acknowledge or answer questions about Thomson's suspension other than its brief statement. In messages with CBC News, Thomson said he cannot comment on his suspension because "there is an active legal case around this."
However, the health authority said it has taken steps to strengthen security at the hospital as a result of this threat and because of "media reports of global online threats against the Jewish community."
"This included increasing the presence of security officers and restricting access to our hospitals to select entrances for patients and visitors," it wrote in a statement.
York Regional Police confirmed in an email to CBC News that "an investigation commenced regarding a report of a threat made against a doctor at a hospital" in York Region but would not share further information about the investigation.
After Thomson's address was posted online alongside threatening messages like "We know where you live and work pal. One eye open," he said police advised him to create a safety plan that includes staying away from home.
"I'm currently not staying at home due to my home address being posted with threats of violence, as well as the York Regional Police agreeing that not staying at home was a good idea, during discussions of a safety plan created as a result of the phone threats of violence and the online threats," Thomson wrote in a message sent through Signal, an encrypted messaging service, as a safety precaution.
"We stayed in a hotel the first night ... but have now moved into an apartment indefinitely, until we learn more regarding the outcome of the York Police investigation."
Loubani said the swift action by the hospital is a rare occurrence reserved for egregious circumstances.
"The only time we ever see these sudden-death suspensions is when there's a criminal charge on a serious criminal offence, [like] sexual assault, murder, attempted murder," he said. "What I fear for other physicians is that they'll see Dr. Thomson's case, and they'll think to themselves, 'This means I should never say anything.'"
In the aftermath of Thomson's suspension and doxing, non-profit group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East organized a letter writing campaign demanding Thomson's reinstatement, garnering more than 2,000 responses.
In the meantime, Loubani said he and 17 of Thomson's colleagues are pitching in to cover Thomson's salary for the duration of his suspension.
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