gem • bsky: spurll.com

Family medicine resident, former software developer, host of @LUEEPodcast. Mastodon @[email protected]. He/him.

[Yipeng Ge 葛义朋 @yipengGe]

I tried to attend the @OntariosDoctors annual general meeting tonight in Ottawa, and was removed from the room by members of their executive team Sandy Zidaric and Adam Farber because I wore my watermelon pin that I’ve worn countless times without issue in many spaces including on parliament hill. They cited the concern that the watermelon pin as a political symbol could possibly make other physician colleagues in the room “uncomfortable” or “unsafe”.

All the while genocide continues in Palestine. When I asked if their policy of what could not be worn on the bodies of their members in their meetings have applied to any other political symbols or attire, they could not give me other examples. They asked me to remove the watermelon pin or leave the room, or sit in another room by myself to tune into the meeting virtually. I declined and left. I explained to them this is an incredibly disappointing and discriminatory policy for their meetings, and I hope it is revised.

I know medical colleagues including medical learners who have been kicked out of clinic because they wore a watermelon pin. These are examples of anti-Palestinian racism. As a physician, I stand in solidarity with my Palestinian medical colleagues who have been killed by the Israeli military and continue to be subjected to genocidal violence. Over 1,700 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza. Many Palestinian healthcare workers remain in Israeli captivity and are being tortured by the Israeli military, including Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a paediatrician who stayed to care for his patients in the hospital he was the medical director of.

Shame on @OntariosDoctors for not only censoring what is allowed to be displayed on the bodies of their members, and even more so to be painfully silent in the face of attacks on our medical and healthcare worker colleagues in Palestine. Don’t look away from the genocide in Gaza. These acts of discrimination are forms of racism, and racism is a distraction from the real issue of ending Canadian complicity in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

[Tarek Loubani @trklou]

This little girl was my patient. I'm surprised how little people - even MDs and keyboard warriors- know about penetrating/gunshot trauma. Let me explain what this X-Ray means, how it clearly proves this girl has a gunshot, and why the haters are oh so very wrong. A #MedTwitter 🧵

[Ahmed Sewehli @LibyanIntegrity]

Great news from the British Medical Association’s annual conference.
It is now BMA policy that condemning Israel is not antisemitic per se, that students and medics should be able to advocate for Palestine without harassment by universities and trusts, and condemns اsraeا for killing health workers and bombing facilities and calls for accountability at ICJ and ICC. The conference calls for the immediate release of all detained health workers in اsraeا #BMAARM25

[Yipeng Ge 葛义朋 @yipengGe]

I am deciding to take time off from my work as a family doctor, to join the global march to Gaza, because Gaza deserves it.

Gaza deserves food, clean water, medicines, medical supplies and proper medical care.

The Palestinian people deserve freedom from this ongoing Israeli siege, blockade, starvation, famine, occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

Liberation is good medicine.

I don’t know what else to do in this moment than to join the global march to Gaza. To demand that humanitarian aid enter Gaza, which Israel has and continues to systematically deny to the Palestinian people.

Over a year ago, I made the journey into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to work in primary care clinics in central Rafah. Before I crossed the border, I saw the aid trucks lined up for kilometres upon kilometres at the border as we drove up. These aid trucks would be systematically held up by Israel from entering, some with their supplies and food expiring, only to have the aid be dumped at the border before it even reached Palestine.

It was initially the plan to work at Nasser hospital, but it was surrounded by Israeli tanks and later besieged and forcibly evacuated by the Israeli military. Now, as healthcare workers continue to do what they can in these impossible situations, Nasser hospital is on the brink of collapse, with healthcare workers donating their own blood in attempts to save their patients. Five days ago, the World Health Organization called for urgent protection of Nasser hospital and Al-Amal hospital, the last two functioning public hospitals in Khan Younis, where currently most of the population is living.

A few months later, after my initial journey into Gaza, I was planning to try to re-enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, and I watched videos of the Israeli military occupy and destroy the Rafah border crossing on the Palestinian side. The Israeli military has continued their invasion and occupation of Gaza, and repeated and further forced displacement of the Palestinian people into smaller and smaller pieces of land.

I am seeing ordinary citizens of the world, the people of conscience, take it upon themselves to deliver aid and demand an end to the famine and genocide in Gaza. While the international community has utterly failed to prevent and stop genocide in Gaza. Israel has previously killed activists and bombed past freedom flotillas for attempting to bring aid in. The latest freedom flotilla was not the first attempt to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza by water, nor will it be the last. We all have a collective responsibility to do what we can, to do everything we can, to help bring an end to the famine and genocide in Gaza.

In a few days, we will march collectively to the Rafah border crossing. This time, I won’t be attempting to cross it with a small medical team, as I know that doctors can’t stop a famine or end a genocide. This time, I will be with thousands of other volunteers and activists from all over the world demanding that the thousands of aid trucks be let in. Because this is what is needed to stop the famine and starvation. And for governments like our own in Canada, to end complicity in this genocide - for example, Canadian companies sold $18.9 million dollars worth of military goods to Israel in 2024 alone. Because this is what is needed to end the genocide.

Because when the people of conscience around the world organize, we are powerful to push our governments to help bring this genocide to an end.

[Samira Mohyeddin سمیرا @SMohyeddin]

There are currently more than 400 Palestinian children under the age of 14 in Israeli jails. Israel recently passed a law allowing for children at the age of 12 to be sentenced to life in prison.

[Ben Thomson 🇵🇸 (He/Him) @BenNephrology]

Health workers around 🌎 have risen up, taking #Pledge4Humanity

Watch health workers from🇬🇧call out complicit politicians and organizations, who've remained silent during 🇮🇱 g3n0s1d3 in g@z@, but spoke up against 🇷🇺 in Ukraine.

TIME TO ACT, politicians @Keir_Starmer @DavidLammy

TIME TO SPEAK UP organizations @TheBMA @rcgp @RCoANews @theRCOT @RCPhysicians @theRCN

Shame on you all.

Never again for anyone

RT or respond with 🍉

[Ben Thomson 🇵🇸 (He/Him) @BenNephrology]

June 10, I take #Pledge4Humanity to end🇮🇱war crimes in Gaza

I am calling out silent/complicit health institutions+politicians-
ACT NOW to end g3nos1de

Read the letter, sign petition
https://t.co/RCH25jV8ra
Post your video!
@MarkJCarney @AnitaAnandMP @CMA_Docs @OntariosDoctors

[Kavita Algu @KavitaAlguMD]

The extent 🇨🇦 medical schools and institutions will go to try to silence people who speak about 🇮🇱 crimes is appalling.

Entire programs remodelled, leadership changes, DEI positions removed, process changes, staffing changes, hiring changes etc etc. Often they say it was “always in the works”. Frequently it was not.

@umanitoba medical school’s graduates say they voted on a 2025 valedictorian, yet the speech was cancelled. As many may remember, last year Dr. Newman @spurll spoke about 🇵🇸 during his speech.

“The long-held tradition for that new physician to address the gathering was eliminated from this year’s program in a measure the university said has been in the works for years.

But it came as a surprise to some members of the graduating class who believe the decision was made in response to last year’s convocation, in which Dr. Gem Newman delivered a speech that included a call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas militants who govern the Gaza Strip.

In his speech, Newman alleged Israel’s military was deliberately targeting Palestinan hospitals. And he condemned medical associations for their silence on the conflict.”

Story by @malakabas in @WinnipegNews

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

Here's the thing: Elon was always like this. https://t.co/SgHNvYmRSh

[Yipeng Ge 葛义朋 @yipengGe]

The question we should not be asking ourselves is, what do we risk by speaking out? But rather, what part of ourselves dies if we remain silent in the face of injustice?

[Alex Tyrrell @AlexTyrrellPVQ]

Yves Engler Appeared in Court But Will Spend the Night in Jail

This afternoon at 2:45, Yves Engler appeared in court via video link, on charges related to his criticisms of a Zionist media personality. The Crown opposed his release without providing a reason. A bail hearing was set for tomorrow, meaning he will spend the night in jail.

Engler appeared without his glasses, struggling to see the screen. When asked if he had legal representation, he confirmed that he was represented by lawyer John Philpot but was then cut off mid-sentence when attempting to discuss conditions.

When Yves asked why his release was opposed, the judge dismissed his question, saying it was at the prosecutor’s discretion, and advised him not to speak.

A not guilty plea was recorded. When Yves tried to ask about his political rights, the judge cut him off again, and he was quickly led out of the room.

To support Yves work please donate on his website: https://t.co/wIVhbDY8fc

#YvesEngler #FreeSpeech #PoliticalPrisoner #MontrealPolice #Gaza #Palestine #Israel

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

All cats are beautiful. ☺️

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

A grand jury has called for the abolition of an Alabama police department, finding it to be a "particular and ongoing threat to public safety."

So, you know. Cops. 🤷

https://t.co/J1Oe5BmA03

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

Incredible abuse of state power. https://t.co/JfnNKruAR2

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

"For the paper to suddenly begin posing as a defender of trans people after the damage it has done to the cause of trans rights is some nuclear-level hypocrisy." https://t.co/6hgzpWgypR

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

Get. Him. Out.
Bring Him Home.

[Health Workers Alliance for Palestine @HA4Palestine]

In Gaza only 6% of people had access to safely managed, piped drinking water due to Israel's siege and water apartheid. With the complete siege on Gaza, and the intentional destruction of water infrastructure, the situation is truly critical.@Glia_Intl

[gem • bsky: spurll.com @spurll]

Truly disgusting stuff! Though this joke is instructive, as it simply betrays the disdain for the humanity of others that is inseparable from conservatism. https://t.co/D7pau7on8F

[Ghassan Abu Sitta, Chair of Conflict Medicine AUB @GhassanAbuSitt1]

this article examines the moral, political, and epistemic responsibilities of humanitarian, public health, global health, medical and related communities of practice amid profound violence and injustice

https://t.co/cLADKD9OGm