'He does not deserve this': University of Ottawa criticized after medical resident suspended for pro-Palestine posts

A petition aiming to reinstate Dr. Yipeng Ge and launch an inquiry into the school's faculty of medicine has received more than 28,000 signatures

Katie Scott
·3 min read
1.9k

The University of Ottawa is being criticized for suspending a medical resident after he shared pro-Palestinian views on social media.

Dr. Yipeng Ge, a resident physician in his fourth year of public health and preventive medicine, has been reposting information on X — previously known as Twitter — since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

A joint Instagram post on Saturday by journalist Shaun King and a page called Hidden Palestine indicates Ge was "abruptly" suspended from his residency. It also alleged the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine misused its authority, intimidating residents and students through censorship, and urged people to call on the school to investigate professor Dr. Yoni Freedhoff.

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Freedhoff, an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, wrote a blog post On Nov. 2, targeting Ge for his pro-Palestinian social media posts and accusing him of antisemitism. Freedhoff also called out Ge on X, claiming he was spreading antisemitism.

Allegedly, Ge was suspended shortly after Freedhoff's blog was published.

In response to Ge's suspension, a petition was created with the aim of reinstating him and launching an inquiry into the program. The petition goes further, urging the University of Ottawa to "issue an apology for the failure to engage in due process in the investigation of Dr. Yipeng Ge and other students of the University of Ottawa who have been unjustly denied their fundamental right to free expression."

The petition also calls for the University of Ottawa to take steps to protect Ge from further harassment and to address Freedhoff's alleged actions, holding him accountable for harassing the medical resident and potentially exposing him to physical and reputational harm.

As of Sunday afternoon, the petition has received more than 28,000 signatures.

Following the news of Ge's suspension, many social media users began criticizing the University of Ottawa. Numerous people highlighted the medical resident had been actively sharing posts advocating for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Yahoo Canada has reached out to Ge and the University of Ottawa for comment.