THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
On October 21, 2025, British-Palestinian doctor Rahmeh Aladwan was arrested and charged with three counts of malicious communications and one count of inciting racial hatred. The charges relate to a speech she gave at a pro-Palestine protest outside the Foreign Office in July and to her online posts. This arrest raises urgent questions about professional responsibility and whether educated professionals understand the laws they are breaking.
Dr. Aladwan is not some uneducated person who might claim ignorance of the law. She is a medical professional with years of university education. She has passed rigorous exams. She understands complex medical concepts and legal frameworks around patient care. She knows about professional standards and the General Medical Council’s code of conduct.
Given this level of education and professional training, there is no reasonable excuse for crossing legal boundaries. The law on inciting racial hatred is clear. The rules about malicious communications are straightforward. A doctor should absolutely know where legitimate political protest ends and criminal behaviour begins.
What the Police Found
The Metropolitan Police’s Public Order Crime Team investigated allegations that comments made at protests and online were grossly offensive and antisemitic in nature. This was not a quick judgment. Police took months to gather evidence, review statements, and consult with the Crown Prosecution Service before making an arrest.
The fact that prosecutors approved charges for inciting racial hatred means they believe there is sufficient evidence that her words went far beyond criticizing Israeli government policy. Incitement to racial hatred is a serious criminal offense. It requires proof that someone’s words were threatening, abusive, or insulting and intended to stir up hatred against a group of people based on their race or religion.
The Professional Failure
What makes this case particularly troubling is the complete failure of professional judgment. Doctors are supposed to “first, do no harm.” They are trusted members of society who take an oath to serve all patients regardless of background. They are expected to promote health and wellbeing, not hatred and division.
When a doctor uses her platform and credibility to allegedly spread antisemitic content and incite hatred, she betrays everything the medical profession stands for. She damages trust between doctors and patients. She makes Jewish patients wonder whether they will receive proper care. She brings shame on all medical professionals who maintain proper standards.
The Regulatory Failure
Even more shocking is that in September, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled Dr. Aladwan could continue practicing medicine despite the ongoing police investigation. This decision drew immediate criticism from Jewish community groups who rightly questioned how someone under investigation for inciting racial hatred against Jews could be considered fit to practice medicine.
This regulatory failure sends a terrible message. It suggests that professional bodies are not taking antisemitism seriously. It implies that doctors can engage in allegedly hateful conduct and continue treating patients as if nothing happened. It undermines public confidence in medical regulation.
No Excuses for Educated Professionals
Some might try to claim Dr. Aladwan was simply exercising free speech or engaging in political activism. This defence does not hold up. Free speech has limits. You cannot incite hatred. You cannot send malicious communications. You cannot make grossly offensive statements targeting people based on their ethnicity or religion.
The arrest demonstrates that her conduct allegedly crossed clear legal lines. Police do not arrest people for legitimate political criticism. They act when speech becomes criminal. The fact that charges were filed means prosecutors believe they can prove beyond reasonable doubt that laws were broken.
Consequences Must Follow
This case will now proceed through the courts. If Dr. Aladwan is convicted, she must face the full weight of the law. A criminal conviction for inciting racial hatred should result in immediate removal from the medical register. There can be no second chances when a professional abuses their position to spread hatred.
But consequences should not wait for a conviction. The General Medical Council should immediately suspend her license pending the outcome of the criminal trial. Allowing someone charged with inciting racial hatred to continue practicing medicine is unacceptable. It puts patients at risk and destroys public trust.
This case is not isolated. There have been numerous instances of professionals at protests and online making statements that appear to cross from legitimate criticism into antisemitic hatred. The failure to consistently enforce laws and professional standards has allowed this problem to grow.
When educated professionals believe they can incite hatred without consequences, something is badly wrong. When regulatory bodies allow doctors under investigation for hate crimes to keep practicing, the system has failed. When it takes months of pressure before police finally make an arrest, enforcement is too weak.
The Bottom Line
Dr. Aladwan’s arrest sends an important message: professional status does not put you above the law. Education does not excuse criminal behaviour. Medical credentials do not shield you from consequences when you allegedly incite racial hatred.
But one arrest is not enough. This case must result in conviction and career-ending sanctions. Other professionals engaging in similar conduct must face swift justice. Regulatory bodies must prioritize public safety over protecting their members.
The time for excuses is over. Educated professionals know the law. They understand professional standards. They recognize the difference between legitimate protest and criminal incitement. When they choose to cross the line anyway, they must face the full force of the law and lose their right to practice.
References
1.https://antisemitism.org/dr-rahmeh-aladwan-allowed-to-continue-to-practise-despite-investigation/
2.https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/anti-jewish-sentiment-has-poisoned-our-police/
3. https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/another-jewish-supremacy-rant-doctor-let-off-by-medical-practitioner-tribunal-service/
