Together Gibraltar: GHA nurse suspension for sharing social media posts disproportionate and unjust

Together Gibraltar says it's deeply concerned by reports that a GHA nurse has been suspended for sharing an ‘anti‑Zionist’ video on their personal social media.

It believes this is a disproportionate and unjust response to lawful political expression made outside of work.

Together Gibraltar says it's also concerned by comments from the Jewish Community that “public servants, especially in health care, have a duty to remain politically neutral in public”. It believes this is incorrect with Public servants having as much right as anyone else to express their political views without fear of reprisal, so long as they uphold their professional duties.

TG says it's fought for public servants’ right to free speech. It says it successfully campaigned against the Government’s attempt to impose a social media policy that would have gagged employees across the public sector.

As a party committed to fostering civil political debate, it says it's particularly concerned about the use of ‘anti-Zionism’ as an excuse to target public servants.

It adds it stands with advocacy groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace who have stated that: “We do not believe that to be Jewish you must support Zionism.

Our public services, it says, must listen to community concerns, but they must also stand behind their employees when they are targeted for lawful political expression.

 It adds that allowing members of the public to hound a worker out of their job for their beliefs sets a dangerous precedent which will leave staff afraid to express their own beliefs.

Together Gibraltar claims the nurse served six years at the GHA with an unblemished record and says that removing them for reasons unrelated to patient care will impact the quality of care the GHA can offer.

It calls on the Government to publicly affirm its commitment to protecting the free speech rights of all public servants, and to ensure that no employee is disciplined solely for expressing lawful political opinions in a personal capacity.