GMC urged to stop punishing doctors who take part in climate protests

Hundreds of health workers have urged the General Medical Council (GMC) to stop suspending doctors who have been imprisoned for participating in peaceful climate activism. This call comes ahead of a trial that could result in the first jailing of a working GP in the UK for a non-violent climate protest.

Two retired GPs, Diana Warner and Sarah Benn, were suspended by GMC-convened tribunals this year after receiving short sentences for non-violent offences during Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain protests in 2021 and 2022. The GMC did not question their clinical capabilities but stated that their actions undermined public confidence in the profession.

The suspensions have sparked significant backlash from the medical community, with the British Medical Association (BMA) describing one suspension as “malicious” and claiming that the GMC had set a “dangerous precedent”. An open letter signed by 464 GPs, hospital doctors, consultants, nurses, and public figures, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, was delivered to the GMC’s London offices.

The letter argues that healthcare professionals have resorted to civil disobedience to push for urgent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, which are crucial for humanity’s survival. It calls on the GMC to reverse the suspensions and support those who have sacrificed their freedom for this cause.

Next week, Patrick Hart, a Bristol GP, is set to go on trial for criminal damage for allegedly damaging fuel pump displays at an M25 service station during a protest in August 2022. If convicted and jailed, he would be the first working doctor in the UK imprisoned for a non-violent offence during a peaceful climate protest.

The UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, has raised concerns about the treatment of Hart, suggesting that the GMC is subjecting him to double punishment for his peaceful climate activism. In response, Mary Creagh, the minister for nature, stated that there is no right to civil disobedience and that UK laws allow for legitimate environmental protest and public engagement.

The GMC has stated that if a doctor receives a custodial sentence after a criminal conviction, it must refer the case to a medical practitioners tribunal, as required by law. The GMC emphasized that while doctors have the right to express their personal opinions, breaking the law during protests can undermine public trust in the profession.

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