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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

NHS nurse ordered to remove ‘antisemitic’ watermelon video call background launches legal action

Sign at entrance of Whipps Cross hospital
Ahmad Baker claims the ban on political symbols is disproportionate and discriminatory. Photograph: Andrew Walters/Alamy

A senior NHS nurse who says he was ordered to remove a background on his video calls that showed a fruit bowl containing a watermelon because it could be perceived as antisemitic has launched legal action against his employer.

Ahmad Baker, who is British-Palestinian and works at Whipps Cross hospital, north London, is one of three medical staff claiming Barts Health NHS trust’s ban on staff displaying symbols perceived as politically or nationally affiliated is disproportionate and discriminatory. Watermelons became symbols of Palestine amid censorship of the Palestinian flag because of its similar colours.

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