Protect Academic Freedom and the Ability For Doctors to Critique Foreign Governments

The suspension of Public Health resident Dr. Yipeng Ge by the University of Ottawa for his comments on the violence in the Gaza Strip doesn’t conform with the University’s commitment to free speech and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Please write a letter to the University of Ottawa to end Dr. Ge’s suspension and for the University and the Faculty of Medicine to issue a public apology for the harm it has caused.

Protect Academic Freedom and the Ability for Doctors to Critique Foreign Government

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Dear University of Ottawa Deans, I am writing to express my profound disappointment and concern regarding the recent suspension of Dr. Yipeng Ge, a senior Public Health resident, who was suspended because of social media posts he made in support of Palestinian human rights. Dr. Ge's statements were well within the boundaries of respectful discourse and his expressions of solidarity with Palestine did not in any way violate ethical conduct or incite animosity. Rather, they were in line with his work in anti-racism, which the University of Ottawa has in the past commended. The decision to suspend Dr. Ge flies in the face of the University of Ottawa's stated goals of focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. In fact, in its currently enacted Strategic Plan for the years 2021-2026, the University sets out the following goal for the Faculty of Medicine: “As stewards of the next generation of health professionals, we must encourage learners to participate in and lead these much needed changes [of addressing topics and contexts of equity, diversity, and inclusion] toward a more just and inclusive society”. This stated goal is entirely irreconcilable with the University's actions of suspending Dr. Ge for his attempt to do just that: lead changes towards a more just and inclusive society. Furthermore, the actions taken by the University work directly against a more just and inclusive campus by alienating segments of the university population and chilling free speech. For example, how can Canadian Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students, staff, faculty, and stakeholders at the University of Ottawa be expected to feel safe and welcome receiving education from, or working within, an institution which denies the support of Palestinian human rights even as it purports to champion diversity and inclusion? Dr. Ge's suspension has caused widespread concerns in the University of Ottawa community that others may meet with the same sanctions should they engage in lawful, respectful expression in support of human rights. This chilling effect is completely incompatible with the role of a university in a free and democratic society and is morally indefensible and unconscionable. I demand that Dr. Ge be immediately reinstated and that the Faculty of Medicine and the University of Ottawa publicly apologize for the harm it has caused to its academic, and the broader, community. Yours truly,
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- Please keep me updated with this incident and others like this.

Protect Academic Freedom and the Ability For Doctors to Critique Foreign Governments

Protect Academic Freedom and the Ability for Doctors to Critique Foreign Government

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