Royal Free Hospital investigates ‘cutthroat gesture to Jewish patient’

Read more: Royal Free staff member’s ‘cut-throat gesture’ claim found to be fictitious

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The Royal Free Hospital is investigating after a staff member allegedly made a cutthroat death-threat gesture to a Jewish patient.

The patient attended the hospital for a blood test when she allegedly noticed the health professional wearing a Palestine flag on their jacket and a badge which said: “Stop killing our children.” 

The patient claims she asked for a different person to take her bloods, but while walking away the staff member “swiped her finger across her throat.”

The incident, which is said to have happened on Tuesday morning, has since been widely publicised on WhatsApp

and social media sites. 

The alleged victim has not been identified and no witnesses have yet come forward to substantiate her claim.

A hospital spokesperson told Jewish News the allegations were being investigated and taken “extremely seriously” but that it had not received a formal complaint.

“We do not tolerate racist or antisemitic behaviour of any kind, from anybody on our premises,” said a spokeswoman for the Trust.

“The Royal Free London is proud of the rich diversity of the patients that we serve and we are taking these allegations extremely seriously. Although we have not received a formal complaint, we will investigate this matter thoroughly.

“We would urge anybody who experiences racist or antisemitic abuse in any of our hospitals to report it immediately to a member of our security team or to the patient advice and liaison service (PALS)”.

It comes after a surge of antisemitic incidents in recent weeks, many connected to increased tensions in Israel and Gaza.

The Royal Free Hospital, in Hampstead, serves a large Jewish population.