PETITION TO REINSTATE DR. YIPENG GE HAS REACHED OVER 89,000 SIGNATURES
University of Ottawa medical resident Dr. Yipeng Ge was suspended by the university administration over his public support and statements for Palestine around three weeks ago. A petition to “Reinstate Dr. Yipeng Ge and Launch Inquiry into uOttawa Faculty of Medicine” by #uottawacensorship has garnered over 89,000 signatures since Nov. 18.
Ge, a former youth delegate to the World Health Organization and Harvard alum, was previously praised by the university for being “passionate about human rights and advocat[ing] for marginalized populations” in a 2020 article on U of O’s website.
In Instagram posts dated Oct. 26, Ge, who was a fourth-year Public Health and Preventative Medicine Resident in the faculty of medicine, shared photos of occupied Palestine with the caption “Structural oppression anywhere is a threat to our collective humanity and freedoms. End the occupation. #FreePalestine.”
Ge traveled to Palestine for a week in March 2023 as part of “Palestine Trek: Bearing Witness,” an event in which over 170 Harvard graduate students met with Palestinian activists, lawyers, academics, students, and artists and “witnessed apartheid, military occupation, and settler-colonialism firsthand.” A few photos from this trip were first posted on his Instagram on March 22.
Ge accused of antisemitism in professor’s blog post
The suspension appears to have come after Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a professor in the faculty of medicine, published a blog post titled “More Antisemitism From the Canadian Medical Association: This time from their ‘antiracist’ board member.” The post, uploaded on Freedhoff’s food and nutrition blog on Nov. 2, accused Ge of being antisemitic because of his pro-Palestinian social media presence.
In the post, Freedhoff shares screenshots from Ge’s Instagram and criticizes Ge’s support of the “genocidal” chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This was not the first time Freedhoff referenced Ge on social media — he has criticized Ge’s support of Palestinians through his Twitter account as well.
Freedhoff has also tweeted “Ceasefire calls are delusional.”
Freedhoff’s condemnation of Ge’s statements also included a screenshot of an Instagram story posted by Ge containing a tweet from Jackson Hinkle, a far-right American political commentator and social media influencer with a history of publishing misinformation in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the current genocide in Palestine.
Hinkle has been an avid critic of Israel’s government since the beginning of October 2023 and has gained over 1.4 million followers for his pro-Palestinian tweets.
Violations of policy and legal action
It is unclear at this time, which formal process, if any, was followed in the suspension of Ge.
When asked for comment, Ge told The Fulcrum that he “is currently involved in a legal process and thus [is] not permitted to respond.”
In an interview with CBC, U of O spokesperson Jesse Robichaud said that “[the university] had received complaints about an alleged breach of professional standards by a medical resident.”
Robichaud said the university’s faculty of medicine postgraduate professionalism subcommittee will consider whether the resident breached the College of Physicians and Surgeons policy on social media and the faculty’s policy on professionalism.
“Interim measures” have been taken while a subcommittee examines the case, though Robichaud did not say what those measures entail.
Both The University of Ottawa’s Student Union (UOSU) and the petition state that the suspension of Yipeng Ge and the silencing of other Palestinian advocates on campus is a violation of Policy 121: Statement on Free Expression, Policy 130: Student Rights and Responsible Conduct and Policy 77: Occupational Health and Safety.
UOSU shared on their Instagram account on Thursday that they “stand in solidarity with Dr. Ge” and demand a public apology from the Faculty: “We express our support for Dr. Yipeng Ge’s advocacy for the human rights of Palestinians, including their right to healthcare and safety.”
UOSU called on the University of Ottawa to demand transparency regarding Ge’s suspension, a fair appeal and hearing process, public comment from the central administration, and a public apology from the faculty.
UOSU additionally called out the university for “lack of due process” and for its “failure to provide a safe environment for Palestinian students and allies.”
UOSU also stated in a reply to the original post: “Conversations have already started with the [university] administration. We will be monitoring the appeal closely and our student rights centre is in touch with the student.”
The university has not released a public statement regarding this matter.
