Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust - bottling it under right-wing pressure

Last week, representatives of Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, an internationally respected human rights organisation, were scheduled to speak at MRI. As a result of threats by the Zionist Central Council, MRI bosses cancelled the meeting at just a few hours' notice and disseminated false information, ie that the meeting had been cancelled rather than just moved across the road. This was an invitation-only meeting for health professionals on a topic of concern to them as health workers. Below is the story, from organiser Asad Khan, of what happened and what action people can take to congratulate the Pennine Acute Trust which refused to bow to Zionist bullying, to highlight the pathetic cowardice of Central Manchester Trust and to condemn the racist lies of the ZCC.

PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MANCHESTER: AFTER THE EVENT, WE NEED YOUR HELP

Dear all
A big thank you to all who attended, publicized or supported Miri Weingarten's day (The Right to Health in a Conflict Zone: a Rendezvous with Physicians for Human Rights-Israel) in the Greater Manchester area.
I think you need to know the full story of how it nearly didn't take place.
The MRI lecture theatre was booked on 14 August and the Grand Round at the Education Centre at Bury on 14 Sep- both by local consultants and well in advance of the date of 22 Oct.
Everything seemed to be going well with the organization of the day, and we were getting a phenomenal level of interest. Nobody at either institution expressed any doubts/disapproval.
However on the evening of 20 Oct I found this on the website of the Zionist Central Council of Greater Manchester:

START
Urgent Call To Stop Anti-Israel Meeting at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital
The anti Israel Group, Pysicians for Human Rights - Israel are arranging a talk called 'The Right to Health in a Conflict Zone' at 1830 on 22 October 2009 at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) and at Fairfield General Hospital, Bury at 1230.

An example of their anti Israel sentiment can be found on the website below
( http://www.facebook.com/l/fccbc;www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/07/israel-gaza-human-rights-report)
and an example of one of their sponsors is as below:
http://www.facebook.com/l/fccbc;pimapalestine.com/site/Cats/view_main/80

If you are upset that an Institution like MRI or Fairfield Hospital could allow such an organistion to speak on its premises.
Contact (this is followed by the contact details for both hospitals' press offices)
and let them know in your own words that their reputation will be tarnished allowing such a group to speak.
END

Needless to say, I was worried sick. First thing on the 21st, we made some enquiries which revealed that someone had already contacted the Press Office of Pennine Acute Hospitals (of which Fairfield is a part) to complain and demand that this 'anti-Semitic' talk be cancelled. We managed to meet the Chief Executive of Pennine that day and he was appalled at this interference in the hospital's affairs by an external agent. He reassured us that he would investigate and within hours he gave orders that the talk was to go ahead.

That day, enquiries to the MRI revealed that they had received a few complaints but the Education Centre were not prepared to bow to pressure and the talk was going ahead.

On the 22nd itself, the talk at Fairfield was a grand success with the highest Grand Round attendance for a long time (approximately 50). However at 1430- 4 hours before Miri's MRI talk- I learned that due to continued threats and complaints, the management of Central Manchester University Hospitals (of which MRI is a part) had cancelled the event. The exact content of the complaints is not known to us but what I have heard is that the hospital cancelled to 'avoid trouble'. With hardly any time to spare, it looked like there would be no lecture but luckily we managed to find an alternative venue across the road from the hospital. We stationed people outside the MRI postgrad to direct them to the new venue and also put up a notice. In the end, we had a brilliant meeting lasting two hours attended by approximately 100 people- mostly healthcare professionals. However I have come to know that some people- especially within MRI- did not make it to the new venue as the Trust intranet had put up a notice about the cancellation. Also, there are reports that MRI security personnel were asking guests to leave the hospital premises as the event was no longer taking place. Interestingly, by 9 pm (when the talk finished) the call to block the meeting had disappeared from the ZCC website.

At neither of the meetings did anyone object to- or even disagree with- what was said. Miri is wonderfully charismatic, with a real passion for justice, and an excellent speaker. I have already received enquiries from people wanting to host her and even some who wish to go to work in Israel/Palestine.

The whole idea that Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is anti-Semitic or even anti-Israel is ludicrous given that the organization is overwhelmingly comprised of Jewish Israelis of whom Miri is one. The talk itself was about the violation of the right to access healthcare, and was entirely appropriate for an audience of healthcare professionals. The orchestrated bullying tactics of the Zionist Central Council are well-known in the Northwest and violate the fundamental right of freedom of expression. If they disagreed with what was going to be said, they were welcome to come and express an alternative viewpoint. However, their objective has always been solely to silence any criticism of Israel. In this case, they failed.

PIMA is a registered charity which takes healthcare professionals and equipment to the Palestinian territories. It is not a political organization. And to use a brief newspaper report as 'proof' of an organization's 'anti-Israel sentiment' is ridiculous.

As for Central Manchester University Hospitals- it is regrettable that they panicked in the face of pressure and an event that had been booked for two months was cancelled with a few hours' notice. No attempt was made to determine if indeed there was anything objectionable in the subject matter of the talk and the Trust took the easiest option of simply stopping the talk. Had we not been fortunate enough to find the alternative venue, over 100 people- some of whom had travelled from Liverpool and Bradford- would have been deprived of the opportunity to hear a speaker from an internationally respected human rights organization.

Using the above points, I am asking you to do as many of the following things as you can-

1. Congratulate Pennine Acute Hospitals: If you were at the Fairfield talk or study/work within Pennine Acute, please convey your appreciation to Mr John Saxby, Chief Executive for his principled stance in favour of freedom of expression and institutional autonomy in the face of external pressure.

You can email him via his executive assistant: Janette.Melia [at] pat.nhs.uk
Or phone him on 0161 604 5462
Or write to him at
Mr John Saxby, Chief Executive, The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester M8 5RB

2. Make your disgust known to the Zionist Central Council
Let them know that their allegations that the talk was anti-Semitic or that PHR-I is an anti-Israel group are baseless (for the reasons outlined above). Also tell them that the talk was a grand success and therefore they failed in their motive. Their attempts to silence any meaningful criticism of Israel will only be met with further determination on our part to organize and support such events. Inform them that we will be working to expose their primitive attempts at censorship by spreading the word in the wider media.
ZCC tel no 0161 740 8835 email zccoffice@zcc.org.uk

3. Complain to Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust
Convey your disappointment at the fact that they took the easy option and bowed to external pressure. Say that it was extremely impolite to cancel at a few hours' notice a meeting with an internationally respected human rights organization booked months in advance. This was a medical meeting by invitation only in a hospital and was no business of the general public. Seek reassurance that in the future, they will seek to establish the facts first before caving in to pressure. They also ignored the fact that among the organizers were Medsin and Medact, which are nationally respected networks of medical students and doctors concerned about global health inequalities.

Email the Chief Executive via his PA at Michelle.Green@cmft.nhs.uk
Or telephone her (via switchboard unfortunately) 0161 2761234
Or write a formal complaint to
The Chief Executive, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Headquarters, Cobbett House, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL

PLEASE REMEMBER- be brief, stick to the facts, use polite language and stay calm. Write/phone as individuals giving your name and designation (rather than as an organization). However, be firm and make it clear that you expect a response.

4. Disseminate this in the wider media
Email the local/national press. And if any of you are Jewish and object to the tactics of the ZCC, please consider writing to papers such as the Jewish Chronicle to express your disapproval.
Please do not ignore this email. It is too easy to shrug our shoulders and say 'the Zionist lobby are so powerful'. For they are not- if we get our act together.
Best wishes
Asad Khan