Johns Hopkins University suspended one of its senior doctors after he made a series of inflammatory statements against Palestinians on social media, describing them as “bloodthirsty and morally corrupt animals,” according to reports.
The Baltimore Banner newspaper said that Dr. Darren Klugman, director of pediatric cardiac critical care at the Johns Hopkins Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, posted inflammatory statements on the Twitter site “X” after the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on the 7th. Last October.
Zionist of the week: Darren Klugman, MD
Dr. Klugman is a pediatric cardiologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
He uses his X account to advocate for genocide, call people of certain ethnicities “depraved animals”, and glorify/promote violence.@DrKlugs we… pic.twitter.com/VrH0PrcNo2
— Stop Zionist Hate (@StopZionistHate) November 13, 2023
“These are the Palestinians,” Klugman wrote. “Bloodthirsty, morally corrupt animals who want nothing less than every inch of Israel and the killing of all the Jews.”
He added in a series of tweets, “Stop telling me about peace partners… It is time to restore every inch of Israel to the Jews.” He continued, “Israel has no peace partner with the Palestinians. They are barbaric animals that do not care about life.”
In one post, Klugman commented with the phrase “God willing” in response to a tweeter’s concerns about a “large-scale massacre” in Palestine. He described them as “people who rape and kill civilians.”
Klugman also wrote, “Don’t talk about peace and Israeli aggression. It’s time to take back Gaza from 2005 and end the Iranian nuclear program.”
Palestinians are “savage animals.” pic.twitter.com/26khVAylfG
— Stop Zionist Hate (@StopZionistHate) November 13, 2023
For its part, the editorial board of the Johns Hopkins Newsletter published an editorial calling on the university to be transparent in its investigation into Dr. Klugman’s tweets and to hold him accountable.
An investigation was opened and he was suspended from work
According to Johns Hopkins Hospital, an investigation was opened against Klugman due to his inflammatory tweets that included racist and hateful language.
These posts gained public attention, prompting Klugman to delete his account on the X platform, while the university and hospital acknowledged these tweets. Klugman has now been placed on leave pending the completion of the investigation.
Two Johns Hopkins doctors also reported a culture of fear among doctors, staff and patients in the wake of those posts. They also expressed concern that a doctor with such hateful views could endanger Palestinian and Arab patients receiving care at Hopkins.
“Klugman’s offensive rhetoric is inconsistent with the university’s mission as an institution,” according to the university’s statement. According to its Statement of Principles on Diversity and Equity, the university aims to build “an inclusive intellectual and physical environment to ensure that all members of our community know with certainty that they belong at Johns Hopkins.”
“We thank the editorial board of the Johns Hopkins Newsletter for taking its stand and seeking transparency and accountability from the university in its investigation into Dr. Klugman’s troubling comments,” Zainab Chowdhury, Maryland director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Maryland, said in a statement.
“Medical professionals are entrusted with saving lives and are sworn not to harm them,” Choudhary added. “Dr. Klugman’s positions contradict this spirit and have irreparably damaged trust within the community and among his colleagues.”
She noted that last month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for Klugman’s employment to be terminated and his medical license to be revoked.
